Impact of Dietary Oleaginous Seeds on Health Lipid Indices and Fatty Acids Profile on Broiler's Meat

Over the past few years, there has been a growing preference among consumers for broiler meat, primarily due to its rich protein content and its suitability in the obtained of functional foods. In this context, a 42-day feeding trial was conducted on 192, day-old Ross 308 chicks obtained from a local hatchery and kept in an experimental hall on permanent wood shaves litter (16 broilers/m2 capacity). The broilers were randomly divided into 4 groups (C, E1, E2, and E3), each group consisted of four replicates (12 chick/replicate). All the groups received the same basal diet for ten days. Broilers’ were fed as follows: C group (basal diet), 6% flaxseed (E1), 10% camelina seeds (E2) and 15% hemp seeds (E3). At the end of the study, 32 broilers (8 chick/group) were slaughtered and thigh samples were collected for quality analyses (fatty acids profile, cholesterol content and health lipid indices). Prior to slaughter, the blood samples collected to determine the serum lipid parameters.The concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially the n-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, g/100g total FAME) increased significantly (P=0.0001) in thigh samples for all experimental groups compared to C group, but the n3-PUFA concentration decreased inversely proportional to the rate inclusion of raw materials rich in PUFA. The healthy lipid indices, especially the atherogenicity (IA) and thrombogenicity (IT) indices, registered lower values (P≤0.05) in all experimental groups compared to C group. In conclusion, the supplementation of broilers' diet with oleaginous seeds positively influenced meat characteristics, including the health lipid indices and n-3 fatty acid ALA to promote an efficient conversion of ALA to eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic fatty acids (DHA), with beneficial implications for human health.