EFFECT OF USING FLAX MEAL IN BROILER DIETS ON MEAT FATTY ACIDS CONTENT

Abstract

The paper aimed to present the effect of using two by-products from food industry in broiler diets, on meat fatty acids content. A 4-week feeding trial (14-42 days) was conducted on 200, Cobb 500 broilers, assigned to 5 groups (C, E1, E2, E3, E4) and reared in floor pens. The structure of all five groups was enriched in polyunsaturated fatty acids by (PUFA) using 4% flax meal, characterized by 50.73% alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Compared to the control formulation, in both phases (grower/finisher) the experimental formulations included 3% and 6% white (2.48% ALA) or red (1.51% ALA) grape pomace. At the end of the trial, 6 broilers/ group were slaughtered and samples of thigh and breast meat were collected in order to determine the fatty acids content. The obtained results showed a higher content of PUFA for the experimental diets which included grape pomace, compared to the one that had only flax meal. Regarding the meat samples, the experimental diet that was supplemented with 3% red grape pomace recorded the highest content of PUFA, both in thigh and breast meat, compared to the control diet.