NATURAL TOCOPHEROL ENRICHMENT AND ITS EFFECT IN N-3 FATTY-ACID MODIFIED CHICKEN EGGS

Two hundred and forty White Leghorn laying hens were fed an n-3 fatty acid modified diet supplemented with a natural tocopherol (TOC) mixtur e at 0, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg for 7 weeks. Egg yolk TOC content incr eased linearly (P < 0.05) up to day 8 at each level of dietary supplem entation. The fatty acid profile of egg yolks became relatively consta nt at day 8 with the exception of C20:4n6, which stabilized by day 16. From day 0 to day 8 of the feeding, the contents of all n-3 polyunsat urated fatty acids in egg yolk lipids significantly increased, with a concomitant decrease in C18:1 (P < 0.05). Lipid stability of egg yolk was significantly improved with increasing dietary TOC supplementation (P ( 0.05). In short, n-3 fatty acid modified eggs can be also simult aneously enriched with natural tocopherols through dietary modificatio n to make egg yolk lipid more stable.