Effect of dietary pomegranate seed oil and linseed oil on broiler chickens performance and meat fatty acid profile

The effects of dietary pomegranate seed oil (PSO) and linseed oil (LO) on the growth performance, slaughter value and fatty acid (FA) profile of breast lipids of broiler chickens were investigated. A total of 400 one-day-old Ross 308 broilers were randomly assigned to 8 feeding treatments, with five replicates per treatment. Between 22 – 42 day of life the birds were fed a grower type diets with four PSO levels: 0.0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5% and two levels of LO per PSO level: 0.0 and 2.0%. In relation to the non-PSO diets, the feed-to-gain ratio in broilers fed PSO diets was improved (P < 0.01). Treatment with 1.5% dietary addition of PSO resulted in higher abdominal fat percentage in comparison to other PSO levels (P < 0.01). Increasing amounts of PSO in the diet caused a gradual rise in the deposition of conjugated linoleic acid isomers (CLA) in breast lipids. The share of saturated fatty acids in breast lipids did not differ, whereas the share of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) increased (P < 0.01) and the share of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) decreased (P < 0.01). Compared to the non-LO diets, the 2% LO addition significantly increased total PUFA, decreased total MUFA proportions and improved n-6/n-3 ratio in this tissue. It is concluded, that feeding broiler chickens with diet supplemented with PSO results in a substantial incorporation of CLA isomers into breast lipids and gives a favourable shifts in FA profile of these lipids which could be additionally modulated by LO addition.