Abstract:
The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of flaxseed enriched diets on oxidative status of blood and meat fatty acid composition in broilers. A total of 400 day–old Ross 308 hybrid broilers were randomly allotted to 4 experimental treatments and fed with diets containing extruded flaxseed grain at 0 g/kg (control), 25 g/kg (EFS25), 50 g/kg (EFS50) and 100 g/kg (EFS100), respectively for 42 days. Extruded flaxseed had significant effects on the enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidative systems in broiler blood. Treatment EFS100, showed the highest (31.2 μmol/gHb min) SOD activity, CAT activity (44.4 μmol/gHb min), GSHPx (9.2 μmol/gHb min) and GSHR activity (16.5 μmol/gHb min). Diets enriched with extruded flaxseed led to a significant increase in α-linolenic acid (ALA; C18:3n-3) in breast and leg meat, which is a major n-3 fatty acid. Long chain n-3 fatty acids, such as eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3), docosapentaenoic acid (C22:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3), were also present in both, breast and leg meat. In both breast and leg meat the most favourable lowest n-6/n-3 ratio was obtained in the EFS100 treatment, but in EFS25 and EFS50 this ratio also was significantly reduced.
