EGG ENRICHMENT WITH OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS BY MEANS OF FLAXSEED SUPPLEMENT (Linum usitatissimum) IN THE DIET

Objective. To increase the content of omega-3 (n-3) fatty acids in hen’s eggs by supplementing flaxseed in the diet. Materials and methods. Four levels of flaxseed amounts were evaluated: 0% (L0), 10% (L10), 15% (L15) and 20% (L20). We evaluated the fatty acid composition in the egg’s yolk, as well as quantity and quality of eggs produced. Results. Percent egg production was higher (p<0.05) in groups L0 (93.0%) and L15 (91.5%) as compared with groups L10 and L20 (86.0%). The best feed conversion rate was obtained with treatments L0 and L15. The dietary supplement of flaxseed increased the n-3 contents in eggs from 3.0% (in group L0) to 12.6% (in group L20), being the á-linolenic (C18:3 n-3) and the docosahexaenoic (C22:6 n-3) the most abundant fatty acids. Dietary supplement of flaxseed was also responsible for the reduction in the content of linoleic acid (C18:2 n-6), therefore decreasing the n-6:n-3 ratio. Conclusions. The economic assessment of the dietary treatments shows that it is feasible to increase the n-3 fatty acid content of hen´s eggs by up to 10.1% by using 15% dietary flaxseed; however, this dietary modification represents a 12% increase in the production costs.