Influence of fish oil and antioxidants supplementation on carcass traits, immune response, minerals and amino acid composition of broiler meat

The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility to increase omega-3(n-3) long chain Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) especially Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) fatty acids and to preserve meat quality in broiler by adding fish oil (FO) and some antioxidants to the diet.
The present experiment was carried out at the Poultry Physiology Researches Laboratory, Poultry Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, and Laboratories of Animal Production Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt, Agriculture Research Centre. A total of 120 (one-day-old) Cobb-500 broiler chicks were obtained from a local commercial hatchery. The birds were randomly divided into four groups with three replicates, 10 chicks each. The first group was fed on the basal diet containing 2% soy bean oil (control), the 2^nd , 3^rd and 4^th groups were given the basal diets containing 2%  FO; 2% FO + 200 mg vitamin E (Vit. E)/ kg or 2% FO + 0.2% Sweet Chestnut Tannin (SCT) for 5 weeks, respectively.
Results showed that there was no significant (P>0.05) difference among treatments in carcass traits (carcass %, liver %, heart %, gizzard %, abdominal fat %, breast %, wings % and femur %) of broilers. Also, no difference was recorded among treatments in Amino acids, protein , moisture and minerals of broilers meat compared to control. No significant (P= 0.53) difference among treatments was observed in chemical properties (Moisture %, CP %, EE % and Ash %) of broilers meat. Dietary inclusion of 2% FO + 0.2%SCT in broiler diets improved immune response and n-3 long chain PUFAs in broiler meat. On the other hand,  all experimental treatments were differed significantly  on the sensory characteristics of chicks breast and thigh meats. In which, the most preferred breast and thigh meat was from birds receiving the basal diet (control). The sensory quality scores were obtained for the group of single FO addition, followed by those fed FO in blend with either vit E or SCT. Thus, supplementation of these antioxidants with FO slightly improved the eating quality traits of broiler meats when compared with the single FO addition.