Feeding Laying Hens a Diet Containing High-Oleic Peanuts or Oleic Acid Enriches Yolk Color and Beta-Carotene While Reducing the Saturated Fatty Acid Content in Eggs
Ondulla T. Toomer,
Thien Chuong Vu,
Elliot Sanders,
Adam Karl Redhead,
Ramon Malheiros,
Kenneth E. Anderson
Affiliations
Ondulla T. Toomer
Food Science & Market Quality & Handling Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Thien Chuong Vu
Food Science & Market Quality & Handling Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Elliot Sanders
Prestage Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Adam Karl Redhead
Food Science & Market Quality & Handling Research Unit, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Ramon Malheiros
Prestage Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
Kenneth E. Anderson
Prestage Department of Poultry Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
We investigated the dietary effects of high-oleic peanuts (HOPN) or oleic fatty acids (OA) on older production hen performance, egg mass and quality, and lipid composition. A total of 99 laying hens were divided between three treatments and fed ad libitum for 8 weeks: (1) Conventional diet; (2) HOPN diet; (3) OA diet. Body weight (BW) was measured at weeks 1 and 8, and feed, egg weights (EW), and egg quality parameters were collected. Data was analyzed by analysis of variance at p p = 0.0004). The 8-week average yolk color score (p p p < 0.0001) was greater in eggs from the HOPN group, with reduced saturated fats in eggs from the HOPN group relative to the other treatments. These results suggest that HOPN and/or OA may be a useful layer feed ingredient to enrich eggs, while significantly reducing egg size in older production hens.
