Heterotrophic Aurantiochytrium sp. supplementation to layer diets sustainably increases the omega-3 concentration of eggs

ABSTRACT

1. The consumption of adequate amounts of the long-chain polyunsaturated omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 LC-PUFA) has been associated with beneficial effects on human health. Eggs are commonly consumed worldwide, and their omega-3 content can be easily altered by changing the diets of laying hens and so represent an important target for enrichment.

2. In this study, the effect of supplementing laying hens with DHA-rich, Aurantiochytrium limacinum at three different inclusion levels was investigated over a 24-week period.

3. Significant increases in egg DHA concentrations were observed after four weeks and were maintained for the duration of the 24-week study. The supplemented eggs in the current study had a DHA content of 82, 101, and 129 mg/yolk when supplemented with 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% treatments, respectively, which meets the EU criteria to be considered ‘high in omega-3ʹ.

4. Using the sustainably grown protist Aurantiochytrium limacinum to supplement layer diets increased the egg DHA concentration and decreased the n-6/n-3 ratio, improving the nutritional value of the eggs for human consumers.

KEYWORDS:

• Aurantiochytrium limacinum
• DHA
• eggs
• layers
• omega-3

Acknowledgments

Funding for this work was provided by Alltech SARL (France). The authors would like to express their gratitude to Ms. Rebecca Timmons (Alltech Inc. USA) for her technical input on Aurantiochytrium limacinum, Dr. Tuoying Ao for his knowledge of the application of All-G-Rich® in layer nutrition and Ms. Claire Traynor at the Mylnefield Institute (James Hutton Ltd., Dundee, Scotland) for her expertise in fatty acid analysis methods.

Disclosure statement

The authors C. A. Moran and J. D. Keegan are employees of Alltech which produces and markets ALL-G-RICH®, the commercial product used in this study.