Effect of hot and cold processed hempseed (Cannabis sativa) meal on productive performance, egg quality, egg yolk fatty acid and blood biochemical in laying hens at 37 weeks

This study evaluated the effects of dietary inclusion of cold- and hot-processed hempseed meal (HSM) on performance, egg quality, yolk fatty acid composition, and blood biochemical parameters in laying hens. A total of 150 Super Nick hens (37 weeks old) were allocated to three dietary treatments with five replicates of eight birds each for 16 weeks: control (0 % HSM), 15 % cold-processed HSM (60 °C), and 15 % hot-processed HSM (120 °C). Performance traits, egg production and quality indices, yolk color, fatty acid composition (gas chromatography), and serum biochemical variables were analyzed. Data were subjected to one-way ANOVA after testing assumptions, and differences among means were considered significant at P < 0.05. Final body weight and feed intake were unaffected (P > 0.05), whereas feed conversion ratio improved in the cold-processed HSM group compared with the control (P = 0.03). Both HSM diets increased hen-day egg production (P = 0.01) and yolk pigmentation (Roche score and b*; P < 0.01). Hot-processed HSM increased eggshell weight, ratio, and thickness (P < 0.05), while internal egg quality traits were unchanged (P > 0.05). Yolk linoleic (C18:2n6c) and α-linolenic (C18:3n3) acids increased and oleic acid (C18:1n9c) decreased in HSM-fed groups (P < 0.05). Serum triglycerides were reduced in hens fed hot-processed HSM (P = 0.04), whereas creatinine, AST, and ALT were not affected (P > 0.05). In conclusion, dietary inclusion of 15 % hempseed meal improves feed efficiency, egg production, shell quality, and yolk fatty acid enrichment without adverse physiological effects, with processing temperature influencing the magnitude of responses.