The Effect of Feeding Laying Hens with Nonindustrial Hemp Seed on the Fatty Acid Profile, Cholesterol Level, and Tocopherol Composition of Egg Yolk

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate how cannabis-derived nonindustrial hemp seed (HS) inclusion in laying hen diets, as well as treatment duration, affected the fatty acid (FA) profile, cholesterol level, and tocopherol composition of egg yolks. Ninety-six ( $n=96$ ) Lohmann Brown classic laying hens were randomly assigned to one of the four groups: control (standard diet) and HS-containing diets (10% HS, 20% HS, and 30% HS). The study was conducted for a period of 4 months. The findings demonstrated that the FA profile and the tocopherol composition are strongly impacted by the addition of HS to the diet of laying hens ( $p<0.05$ ), but the cholesterol content remained unaffected. The increase in the dose of cannabis incorporated into the hen’s diet (HS-30% group) led to a significant increase in the amounts of the polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 and n-6 content of egg yolk. This enrichment was accompanied by a considerable decrease in the n-6/n-3 ratio ( $p<0.001$ ) from 8.19 to 4.88, on day 84 of the experiment. The total tocopherol content significantly increased ( $p<0.05$ ) from 281.44 (control) to 327.02 μg/g yolk (HS-30%) on day 84. Finally, in the context of warfare, these seeds might be used as a feed additive for laying hens to produce higher nutritive value eggs with affordable prices.