Effects of Dietary Fish Oil on the Contents of Eicosapentaenoic Acid and Docosahexaenoic Acid and Sensory Evaluation of the Breast Meat in Mule Ducks |
J. F. Huang, C. C. Huang, M. K. Lai, J. H. Lin, C. H. Lee, T. Y. Wang |
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Abstract |
The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of dietary fish oil inclusion on the eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) contents and organoleptic characteristics of breast meat in mule ducks. Three hundred mule ducks at four weeks of age were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments with five replicate pens in each. One replicate pen had ten males and females each with a total of 100 ducks in each treatment. The diet in the three treatments contained 0, 1.5, and 3.0% fish oil, respectively. Body weights at 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks of age, and feed efficiency at 4 to 6, 6 to 8, and 8 to 10 weeks of age were recorded. At 10 weeks of age, one male and one female from each replicate were sacrificed for oxidative stability of breast meat and the sacrificed males were employed for the analysis of fatty acids in breast meat and skin. Sensory evaluation of breast meat was also performed. A level of 3.0% fish oil in the diet significantly deteriorated feed efficiency and body weight gain. Dietary fish oil inclusion had a trend of increasing abdominal fat deposition and decreasing the flavor of breast meat. The EPA and DHA contents in the breast meat were higher than those in the breast skin irrespective of oil sources. The EPA and DHA contents in breast meat and breast skin was significantly increased in the 3.0% fish oil group. Although EPA and DHA were not efficiently deposited in the duck meat through dietary fish oil inclusion, this method can still provide a partial supplementation of EPA and DHA. |
Keywords:
Fish Oil; EPA; DHA; Breast Meat; Mule Duck |
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