Feeding Laying Hens a Diet Containing High-Oleic Peanuts or Oleic Acid Enriches Yolk Color and Beta-Carotene While Reducing the Saturated Fatty Acid Content in Eggs

• Main Authors: Ondulla T. Toomer, Thien Chuong Vu, Elliot Sanders, Adam Karl Redhead, Ramon Malheiros, Kenneth E. Anderson
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2021-08-01
• Series: Agriculture
• Subjects: alternative feed ingredients; high-oleic peanuts; laying hens; shell eggs
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/11/8/771

We investigated the dietary effects of high-oleic peanuts (HOPN) or oleic fatty acids (OA) on older production hen performance, egg mass and quality, and lipid composition. A total of 99 laying hens were divided between three treatments and fed ad libitum for 8 weeks: (1) Conventional diet; (2) HOPN diet; (3) OA diet. Body weight (BW) was measured at weeks 1 and 8, and feed, egg weights (EW), and egg quality parameters were collected. Data was analyzed by analysis of variance at <i>p</i> < 0.05 significance level. There were no treatment differences in 8 week BW, feed conversion ratio, or average weekly egg quality parameters. The 8 week average EW of eggs from the HOPN group had reduced EW relative to the other treatment groups (<i>p</i> = 0.0004). The 8-week average yolk color score (<i>p</i> < 0.0001) was greater in eggs from the HOPN group relative to the other treatments. Overall, the β-carotene (<i>p</i> < 0.006) and OA content (<i>p</i> < 0.0001) was greater in eggs from the HOPN group, with reduced saturated fats in eggs from the HOPN group relative to the other treatments. These results suggest that HOPN and/or OA may be a useful layer feed ingredient to enrich eggs, while significantly reducing egg size in older production hens.