Cholesterol content and fatty acid profile of broiler meat as affected by diet with extruded flaxseed

Abstract

To improve the fatty acid (FA) composition of meat, supplements rich in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) can be added to animal diet. The aim of this research was to examine cholesterol content and FA profile of white (breast) and dark meat (leg-thigh) by feeding two groups [both with males (M) and females (F)] of 1000 broilers of the Ross-308 hybrid line by standard feed (control group - CONM and CONF) and with the addition of 6% of extruded flaxseed mixture (experimental group - EXPM and EXPF). The addition of extruded flaxseed to the diet of broilers did not affect (P>0.05) the content of cholesterol in meat, which was between 46.13 and 52.94 mg.100 g(-1) in white meat and 51.31-55.47 in dark meat. The content of alpha-linolenic acid increased significantly (P lt 0.01) in both white [0.72(CONF)-1.62(CONM) to 2.2(EXPF)-3.03(EXPM) % total FA] and dark meat [1.75(CONF)-1.98(CONM) to 4.47(EXPM)-4.66(EXMF) % total FA], as did the content of n-3 FA and PUFA, while the n-6/n-3 ratio decreased, reaching values below 6. The effect was more pronounced in the meat of females and in dark meat. By adding extruded flaxseed to broilers feed the nutritional characteristics of meat can be improved.