Effects of Dietary Schizochytrium Algae as ω-3 PUFA Source on the Egg-Laying Quail Performance, Serum Indexes, and Egg Yolk Fatty Acids Contents

The objective of this experiment is to investigate the effects of SAP or SAO as omega-3 PUFA raw materials on production performance, egg quality, serum immunity, serum lipids, and fatty acid deposition patterns in the eggs of laying quails. Chinese yellow-feathered quails served as the experimental subjects. A single-factor design was employed to randomly assign 1288 quails into four treatment groups, with seven replicates per treatment and 46 birds in each replicate. The groups included a control group (basal diet with no SAP), 1.6% SAP, 3.2% SAP, and 0.8% SAP + 0.3% SAO. The results indicate that: (1) Compared to the control group, the 0.8% SAP + 0.3% SAO group exhibited a reduction in daily egg-laying rate and egg mass, alongside an increased FCR; (2) the 3.2% SAP group enhanced egg yolk color, while the 1.6% SAP group reduced eggshell thickness, and the 0.8% SAP + 0.3% SAO group increased eggshell thickness; (3) compared to the control group, the 3.2% SAP group decreased total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in serum; the addition of either the 3.2% SAP or the 0.8% SAP + 0.3% SAO group significantly elevated quail serum immunoglobulin M (IgM) levels (p < 0.05); (4) in comparison to the control group, the addition of SAP or with SAP increased the contents of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and omega-3 PUFA in 56-day-old egg yolks while reducing the omega-6/omega-3 ratio (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that SAP as a source of omega-3 PUFA raw materials could improve quail health by improving lipid metabolism and immunity. 3.2% SAP was recommended as the optimal level to produce the enriched omega-3 PUFA quail eggs with the omega-3 PUFA >= 300 mg/100 g.