Chemical composition and energy content of chickens in response to different levels of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Two experiments were performed to study the effect of dietary polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) on abdominal fat pad weight and chemical composition of broilers. In Experiment 1, different fat sources were blended in different ratios keeping added fat level constant (9%). In Experiment 2, PUFA gradient was obtained by increasing the level of inclusion (2, 4, 6 and 8%) of PUFA-rich oil.

Distribution of alpha-tocopherol stereoisomers in liver and thigh of chickens.

The effect of supplementation with different levels of all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate and the inclusion of different dietary contents of PUFA on the deposition of alpha-tocopherol stereoisomers in liver and thigh of chickens was evaluated. Ninety-six 1-d-old Ross female broiler chickens were randomly distributed into eight experimental treatments (three replicates each) resulting from four levels of alpha-tocopheryl acetate without supplementation and supplemented with 100, 200 and 400 mg alpha-tocopheryl acetate/kg and two levels of dietary PUFA (15 and 61 g/kg). The feeds supplemented with alpha-tocopheryl acetate contained a similar proportion of each stereoisomer.