Fatty acid profile of egg yolk lipids from hens fed diets rich in n-3 fatty acids

The effects of diet and of strain on lipid, cholesterol and fatty acid compositions of egg yolk were studied. Two hen strains (Red Lohman—RL and White Lohman—WL) and four experimental diets with different fatty acid composition were used. No significant (P 0.05) by the experimental diets. The major effects of the diets were observed in fatty acids C16:0, C18:0, C18:1n9, C18:2n6, C20:4n6, C20:5n3 and C22:6n3. The addition of oils to the diets fed to hens allowed the production of eggs with higher n3/n6 and PUFA/SFA fatty acid ratios than the eggs from control hens. It was concluded that the amounts of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in egg yolk could be altered by dietary manipulation.