Effects of Dietary Addition of Perilla frutescens Seeds on the Content of Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in Egg Yolk of Gallus domesticus

To study the effect of Perilla frutescens (Perilla) seeds on the polyunsaturated fatty acid in egg yolk. Three groups, each of 40 healthy Gallus domesticuss 26 weeks old, were fed 6, 10 and 15% of perilla seeds in addition to daily basic ration.. The control group (CK) of 40 birds was fed basic daily ration. The polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content and the ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFA in yolk were determined by gas chromatography with 24 eggs randomly selected from each group on the 10th, 25th and 40th day after start of the treatment. The results showed that on 10th, 25th and 40th day, the contents of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, C18:3n3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, C22:6n3) were significantly increased in yolk of 6% and 15% seed group (P < 0.05). On 25th day, the contents of gamma-linolenic acid (C18:3n6) in yolk of 10% and 15% seed groups were much lower than those of the CK (P < 0.05) and the contents of arachidonic acid (C20:4n6) in yolk of 6% and 10% were much lower than those of the CK (P < 0.05). The ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFA in yolk of all experimental groups were significantly lower than that of the CK (P < 0.05). This study provides theoretical basis for the scientific production of functional eggs rich in DHA and ALA.