Extruded canola seed in improving chicken fattening and fatty acid composition

Abstract

The effect of extruded canola seed on the production and fatty acid composition of lipids in chicken meat was examined in this paper. The trial involved dieatary inclusion of three levels of extruded canola seed and maize meal mixture, namely 10, 15 and 20%. The mixture was extruded in a 50:50% ratio. One-day-old chickens of the Ross 308 hybrid line were assigned to four groups of 75 birds each. The trial lasted 42 days. At the end of Trial Eight, chickens from each group were slaughtered and samples of drumsticks were analyzed for their fatty acid composition of lipids. The results demonstrated a decrease in weight gain following the introduction of extruded canola seed mixture in fattening chicken. At the end of trial, birds from the control group reached a weight of 2115.80g, and and from the trial groups, 2018.17, 2036.49 and 2047.32g, respectively. Feed conversion ratio was poorer by 2.5-3.5% in canola-supplemented groups. Partial substitution of extruded soybean meal with canola seed resulted in a decrease of linoleic acid content by 20%, and an increase in linolenic acid content by 50% in relation to the control group, thus improving fatty acid content of chicken meat, and making it a promising feed of the future.