Effect of the Camelina sativa oil on the performance, essential fatty acid level in tissues and fat-soluble vitamins content in the livers of broiler chickens

Camelina (Camelina sativa) oil (CO) is rich source of alpha-linolenic acid. The diet for broiler chickens was supplemented with camelina oil and it was compared with diets supplemented with soybean oil (SO) and rapeseed oil (RO). A total of 90 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were used for a 35-d study, and chickens were allocated to 15 cages and 6 broiler chickens/cage. Cages were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments with five cages per treatment. The temperature and humidity were controlled, and broiler chickens had continuous access to feed and water. No differences were observed for growth performance. The addition of CO to the diet increased the alpha-linolenic acid content of the muscle tissues and abdominal fat (P < 0.001). The alpha-linolenic acid content in the thigh muscle fat was 9.96% of fatty acids (FA) in the CO group and 1.51% of FA in the RO group, and the alpha-linolenic acid content in the breast muscle fat was 4.12% of FA in the CO group and 0.57% of FA in the RO group. The type of oil added to the diet had no effect on the accumulation of vitamins A and E in the livers of broiler chickens. The results of growth performance indicated that CO is similar to SO and RO as a dietary component. However, the type of oil impacted the fatty acid profile. These results showed the usefulness of CO in producing food enriched with alpha-linolenic acid. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.