Dietary stinging nettle ( <i>Urtica dioica</i> ) improves carotenoids content in laying hen egg yolk
1. This study assessed the addition of dried stinging nettle (SN) leaves at 0%, 2.5% and 5.0% in feed on egg production, egg quality, chemical composition and antioxidant content in eggs from laying hens.2. Seventy-two Hy-Line Brown laying hens, housed in 36 enriched layer cages, were used in the study from 43 to 47 weeks of age. Feeding dry SN leaves did not affect (<i>p</i> > 0.05) egg production variables.3. Dietary SN inclusion linearly increased (<i>p</i> < 0.001) carotenoid content more than six-fold, in addition to yellowness and redness of the yolks at the maximum inclusion. Providing eggs from hens fed carotenoid enriched diets, <i>e.g</i>. SN, may be used to increase carotenoids in human diets.
Authors
- S. Enchev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6120-7537)
- Isobel Margaret Whiting (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2160-3583)
- Kristina Kljak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2655-897X)
- Vasil Radoslavov Pirgozliev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4213-7609)
- Atanas G. Atanasov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2545-0967)
- S.P. Rose (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6459-597X)
- Stephen Charles Mansbridge (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4246-9782)
- Marko Tukša
Institutions
- University of Zagreb (HR)
- Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PL)
- Austrian Institute for Health Technology Assessment GmbH (AT)
- Agricultural Academy (BG)
- Agricultural Institute (HU)
- Medical University of Vienna (AT)
- Harper Adams University (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- British Poultry Science
- Published
- 2024-10-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1080/00071668.2024.2406335
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Medicinal plant effects and applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.43