Abstract

The purpose of the investigation was to determine the effect of the addition of 12 ppm lycopene (Lyc), 2% fish oil (FO) or 0.25 ppm Se as selenate (SeVI) or selenized yeast (SeY) to an isoenergetic and isonitrogenous basal diet containing sunflower oil (SO) as the source of energy on the concentrations of fatty acids (FA), especially saturated- (SFA), mono- (MUFA) and polyunsaturated (PUFA) acids, in breast muscles of female and male chickens for six weeks. The influence of these additives on the capacity of D9-, D4- and D5-desaturations, the elongation of FA, and the yield of PUFA peroxidation (an oxidative stress) in breast muscles of female and male chickens were also studied. Dietary SeY most efficiently decreased the concentrations of SFA, MUFA and PUFA as well as malondialdehyde (the marker of the oxidative stress) in muscles of female and male chickens. The addition of FO most efficiently increased the concentration of n-3 long-chain PUFA (n-3LPUFA) and most effectively increased the concentration ratio of n-3LPUFA to SFA (n-3LPUFA/SFA), while most effectively decreased the concentration ratio of n-6PUFA to n-3PUFA (n-6PUFA/n-3PUFA) in muscles of chickens that are beneficial to human health. We conclude that further studies are necessary to determine if diets containing other chemical form of selenium compounds and other vegetable oils induce changes in the profiles of fatty acids in muscles of chickens that are beneficial to human health.

Key words: Chicken, lycopene, selenium, fish oil, sunflower oil, breast muscles, fatty acids, malondialdehyde.