The Effect of Dietary <i>Camelina sativa</i> Oil or Cake in the Diets of Broiler Chickens on Growth Performance, Fatty Acid Profile, and Sensory Quality of Meat

• Main Authors: Sylwia Orczewska-Dudek, Mariusz Pietras
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-09-01
• Series: Animals
• Subjects: <i>camelina</i> oil; <i>camelina</i> cake; polyunsaturated fatty acids; growth performance; broiler chicken
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/9/10/734

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of supplementing the diets of broiler chickens with <i>Camelina sativa</i> oil or cake as a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) on their growth performance, fatty acid profile, and sensory quality of meat. The 456 Ross 308 broilers aged 21&#8722;42 days were divided into 3 groups with 4 replicates of 38 birds in each. Chickens in the control group I (CTR) were fed a standard grower&#8722;finisher feed mixture containing 60 g/kg rapeseed oil. The experimental components, <i>C. sativa</i> oil&#8212;CSO (group II) or cake&#8212;CSC (group III), were included in a diet based on wheat and soybean at 40 and 100 g/kg, respectively. The use of <i>Camelina</i> oil and cake as feed components did not have a significant effect on the growth performance of the chickens. Analysis of the fatty acid profile in the lipids of the breast muscles showed that <i>Camelina</i> oil and cake reduced the content of monounsaturated fatty acids (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05) but increased the content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially &#945;-linolenic acid (C18:3) (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). Furthermore, both components reduced the ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFAs in the breast muscles (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.01). Sensory analysis revealed that <i>Camelina</i> oil had a beneficial effect on meat juiciness, whereas <i>Camelina</i> cake slightly worsened the flavor and tastiness of the meat. In conclusion, supplementing the diet of broiler chickens with <i>Camelina</i> oil or cake can be an efficient method for modifying the fatty acid profile of the meat lipids in a beneficial way, without any negative impact on the growth performance of the chickens. According to the dietetic recommendations for humans, broiler chicken meat with a higher level of PUFA n-3 can be a good alternative source of these fatty acids in the human diet. Furthermore, <i>Camelina</i> oil improved the juiciness of breast meat.