The Relation of Dietary α-Tocopherol Supplementation to the Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids/α-Tocopherol Ratio and Lipid Oxidation in Spent Layer Hen Meat

Abstract

Five groups of spent layer hens (about 17-month-old White Leghorn, commercial strain) with 10 birds in each were fed a commercial-type broiler ration supplemented with DL-α-tocopheryl acetate (ATA) at a level of 0, 500, 750, 1000 or 2000mg/kg of feed, respectively, for the last 10 days prior to slaughter. Results demonstrated that α-tocopherol supplementation to spent layer hens resulted in deposition of greater amounts of α-tocopherol (α-Toc), mainly on their egg yolks and incorporation of dietary α-Toc into the skeletal muscular tissue and subcellular membranes. However, the concentration of α-Toc in the meat of the spent layer hens was significantly less than that in broilers. Thus, the spent layer hen meat suffered more from lipid oxidation during refrigerated storage than that from broilers even when fed the diet supplemented with 2000mg of ATA per kg of feed. The relatively higher molar ratios of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA)/α-Toc and/or PUFA> 18:2 (PUFA with three or more double bonds)/α-Toc in the spent layer hen muscle and subcellular membranes appeared to contribute to the greater susceptibility of the spent layer hen meat to lipid oxidation.