Decreased Omega‐3 Long‐Chain Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid and Total Omega‐3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid Content of Chicken Meat Fed Diets High in Linoleic Acid to Alpha‐Linolenic Acid Ratio

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of varying linoleic acid (LA) levels in diets on the conver-sion of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) into eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) levels in chicken meat. The fat content of the feed was adjusted by adding pure or blended vegetable oil and the oils were included at a level of 2.8% in order to produce diets with the desired levels of LA and ALA. The ALA content in the diets was held constant at 2.1% energy (%en) while the level of LA varied from 2.9 to 4.4%en. The LA to ALA ratio of the experimental diets thus ranged from 1.4:1 to 2.1:1. The findings indicated that the total n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) levels in the breast meat of chicken fed with the lowest LA content was 16% higher than the n-3 LCPUFA levels in the breast meat of those fed with the highest LA content. In general, the decrease in the level of n-3 LCPUFA due to inhibition by LA was less than the stimulatory effect of an equivalent level of ALA on n-3 LCPUFA accumulation. This study showed that the strongest influence on n-3 LCPUFA accumulation in chicken meat was the level of ALA in the diet. The experimental diets did not appear to influence the growth performance of chickens. In conclusion, there was only a modest impact of dietary LA on omega-3 LCPUFA accumulations in chicken meat, but diets that are lower in LA level will allow greater conversion of ALA into n-3 LCPUFA.