The effect of dietary menhaden meal and storage on the omega-3 fatty acids and sensory attributes of egg yolk in laying hens

Abstract

The effect of dietary menhaden meal (MM) on production and egg yolk lipids of commercial White Leghorn hens was studied for 350 d. One hundred and ninety-two birds were given a corn-wheat-soybean diet that contained either 0, 4, 8, or 12% MM. Analysis of the egg yolks at four periods in the laying cycle (162, 211, 254, and 289 d) was performed on the fresh and stored (4 wk at 4 °C, [Formula: see text]) egg yolks. Sensory evaluation was performed on fresh eggs collected at the end of the laying cycle (448 d).Production whether measured as hen-day or hen-housed, increased linearly with the inclusion of MM in the diets. The level of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids increased 10- and 2.6-fold to give levels of 9 and 95 mg yolk−1, respectively. Storage had no effect (P > 0.05) on these parameters. Sensory data suggested that the level of MM in the diets of laying hens should be between 4 and 8% in order to avoid off-flavours in eggs. Key words: Menhaden meal, laying hens, omega-3 fatty acids, storage, eicosapentaenoic acid, docosahexaenoic acid