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Table 1 Polyunsaturated fatty acid composition of hatching eggs from breeder hens fed diet containing different lipid sources

From: Nutrition and metabolism in poultry: role of lipids in early diet

Fatty acids, %

Fish

Flax

Palm

Sunflower

Corn

Safflower

Yellow grease

n-6 fatty acid

       

     Linoleic (18:2 n-6)

7.8

10.4

8.7

19.7

9.3

21.5

17.4

     Arachidonic (20:4 n-6)

0.6

0.8

1.6

2.1

1.5

2.2

3.1

     Docosatetraenoic (22:4 n-6)

0.0

0.0

0.1

0.2

0.1

0.0

0.4

     Docosapentaenoic (22:5 n-6)

0.0

0.0

0.1

0.1

0.1

1.0

0.0

     Total n-6

8.4

11.2

10.5

22.1

11.0

24.7

20.9

n-3 fatty acid

       

     Linolenic (18:3 n-3)

0.3

7.3

0.2

0.3

0.2

0.0

0.7

     Eicosapentaenoic (20:5 n-3)

0.8

0.3

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

     Docosapentaenoic (22:5 n-3)

0.5

0.1

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.0

0.2

     Docosahexaenoic (22:6 n-3)

4.5

1.7

0.7

0.5

0.2

0.0

1.6

     Total n-6

6.1

10.4

0.9

0.8

0.4

0.0

2.5

  1. These oils or fat sources were added at 3–3.5 % in the breeder hen diets
  2. The hens were fed an isocaloric (2,800 kcal/kg) and isonitrogenous (16.5 % CP) corn-soy-based diet and vitamins and minerals were supplied to exceed NRC requirements for breeder hens. The average weight of egg yolk in these trials were 16.5 - 18.0 g and the total fat of the yolk was 5.4- 5.6 g/egg