Influence of different dietary oil sources on performance and fatty acid profile of egg yolk in laying hens

Laying hens were fed diets containing sunflower, fish, linseed and rapeseed oil with 2 levels of inclusion (1.5 and 3.0%) for 12 weeks. Egg production, egg weight, feed intake, feed conversion and liveweight were not significantly affected by the treatments. Hens receiving sunflower oil produced less intensively coloured egg yolks than those received other oils in their diet (P<0.01). The fatty acid composition of the egg yolk was significantly (P<0.01) affected by the treatment, while cholesterol content was not influenced. There was a significant (P<0.05) interaction between fat source and the level of inclusion in the diet, linolenic acid content increased when hens were fed diet with 3% of linseed and rapeseed oil. Dietary fish oil significantly (P<0.01) increased the deposition of docosohexaenoic acid in the egg yolk. Sensory panelists scored as unacceptable those eggs from hens provided feed with 3% fish oil.