Hostname: page-component-788cddb947-kc5xb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-10-11T11:33:16.218Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Vitamins A, E and fatty acid composition of the eggs of caged hens and pastured hens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 January 2010

H.D. Karsten*
Affiliation:
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
P.H. Patterson
Affiliation:
Department of Poultry Science, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
R. Stout
Affiliation:
USDA/Agricultural Research Service, Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, University Park, PA 16802, USA.
G. Crews
Affiliation:
Natural Resources Conservation Service, One Credit Union Place, Suite 340, Harrisburg, PA 17110-2993, USA.
*
*Corresponding author: hdk3@psu.edu

Abstract

In the US farmers often market pastured poultry eggs for a premium price, claiming animal and human health benefits. We examined how moving pastured hens to forage legumes or mixed grasses influenced hen (Gallus gallus L.) egg omega-3 fatty acids and concentrations of vitamins A and E. We also compared the eggs of the pastured hens to those of hens fed a commercial diet in cages. We used a cross-over design to compare pasture species: 75 sister hens were assigned to one of three pasture treatment groups: (1) alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), (2) red and white clover (Trifolium pretense L. and Trifolium repens L.) or (3) mixed cool season grasses. Groups were rotated to all three pasture treatments, each for 2 weeks and supplemented with 70 g commercial hen mash bird−1 day−1. Pasture botanical composition, forage mass, leaf to total ratio and plant fatty acid composition were compared among pasture treatments. Eggs of the pastured hens were compared to eggs of 50 sister hens that were fed only commercial hen mash in cages for the entire 6 weeks. Forage parameters varied somewhat, but did not explain plant linolenic acid variation. Seventeen of the 18 quantified egg fatty acids, and vitamin A concentrations did not (P<0.05) differ among the three pasture treatment groups. Eggs of the hens that foraged grasses had 23% more (P<0.0001) vitamin E than eggs of hens that foraged clover. Compared to eggs of the caged hens, pastured hens' eggs had twice as much vitamin E and long-chain omega-3 fats, 2.5-fold more total omega-3 fatty acids, and less than half the ratio of omega-6:omega-3 fatty acids (P<0.0001). Vitamin A concentration was 38% higher (P<0.05) in the pastured hens' eggs than in the caged hens' eggs, but total vitamin A per egg did not differ. At the end of the experiment, pastured hens weighed 14% less and averaged 15% lower hen-day egg production than caged birds (P<0.0001). Results suggest that grass pastures may enhance vitamin E in eggs of pastured hens more than clover, and pastured hens supplemented with commercial mash will produce eggs with significantly more vitamin E and total omega-3 fatty acids compared to eggs from caged hens fed only commercial hen mash. Pastured hens may have lower body weight and egg production than caged hens, unless they are supplemented adequately to meet their dietary energy and crude protein needs.

Type
Research Papers
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Oberholtzer, L., Greene, C., and Lopez, E. 2006. Organic Poultry and Eggs Capture High Price Premiums and Growing Share of Specialty Markets. Outlook Report from the Economic Research Service. LDP-M-150-01, December 2006.Google Scholar
2Turner, K.E., McClure, K.E., Weiss, W.P., Borton, R.J., and Foster, J.G. 2002. Alpha-tocopherol (vitamin E) concentrations and case life of lamb muscle as influenced by concentrate or pasture finishing. Journal of Animal Science 80:25132521.Google ScholarPubMed
3Dewhurst, R.J., Shingfield, K.J., Lee, M.R.F., and Scollan, N.D. 2006. Increasing the concentrations of beneficial polyunsaturated fatty acids in milk produced by dairy cows in high-forage systems. Animal Feed Science and Technology 131:168206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Nozière, P., Graulet, B., Lucas, A., Martin, B., Grolier, P., and Doreau, M. 2006. Carotenoids for ruminants: From forages to dairy products. Animal Feed Science and Technology 131:418450.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Scollan, N., Hocquette, J., Nuernberg, K., Dannenberger, D., Richardson, I., and Moloney, A. 2006. Innovations in beef production systems that enhance the nutritional and health value of beef lipids and their relationship with meat quality. Meat Science 74:1733.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Naber, E.C. 1979. The effect of nutrition on the composition of eggs. Poultry Science 58:518528.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7Squires, M.W. and Naber, E.C. 1992. Vitamin profiles of eggs as indicators of nutritional status in the laying hen: vitamin B12 study. Poultry Science 71:20752082.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Naber, E.C. and Squires, M.W. 1993. Vitamin profiles of eggs as indicators of nutritional status in the laying hen: diet to egg transfer and commercial flock survey. Poultry Science 72:10461053.Google Scholar
9Tolan, A., Robertson, J., Orton, C.R., Head, M.J., Christie, A.A., and Millburn, B.A. 1974. Studies on the composition of food. The chemical composition of eggs produced under battery, deep litter, and free range conditions. British Journal of Nutrition 31:85–200.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10Lopez-Bote, C.J., Sanz Arias, R., Rey, A.I., Castaño, A., Isabel, B., and Thos, J. 1998. Effect of free-range feeding on n-3 fatty acid and α-tocopherol content and oxidative stability of eggs. Animal Feed Science and Technology 72:3340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11Engelhart, E.M. 2003. Linoleic acid and linolenic acids in forage and their effect on grazing dairy cow performance, and milk fatty acid composition. M.S. thesis, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.Google Scholar
12Federer, W.T. 1955. Experimental Design: Theory and Application. McMillan Co., New York, NY. p. 438441.Google Scholar
13Sukhija, P.S. and Palmquist, D.L. 1988. Rapid method of determination of total fatty acid content and composition of feedstuffs and feces. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 36:12021206.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14AOAC. 2000. Official Method of Analysis of the AOAC International, 17th ed. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Inc., Arlington, VA, USA.Google Scholar
15Cort, W.M., Vincente, T.S., Waysek, E.H., and Williams, B.D. 1983. Vitamin E content of feedstuffs determined by high-performance liquid chromatographic fluorescence. Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry 31:13301333.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16Speek, A.J., Schijver, J., and Schreurs, W.H.P. 1985. Vitamin E composition of some seed oils as determined by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorometric detection. Journal of Food Science 50:121124.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17McMurray, C.H., Blanchflower, W.J., and Rice, W.J. 1980. Influence of extraction techniques on determination of alpha-tocopherol in animal feedstuffs. Journal of Official Analytical Chemists 63:12581261.Google ScholarPubMed
18SAS Institute 1999. SAS/STAT User's Guide, Version 8. SAS Institute, Cary, NC.Google Scholar
19Hy-Line International. 2002. Hy-Line Variety Brown, Commercial Management Guide, 2002–2004. Hy-Line International, West Des Moines, IA.Google Scholar
20Richardson, R.I., Costa, P., Nute, G.R., and Scollan, N.D. 2005. The effect of feeding red clover silage on polyunsaturated fatty acid and vitamin E content, sensory, colour and lipid oxidative shelf life of beef loin steaks. In Proceedings of the 51st International Congress of Meat Science and Technology, Baltimore, MD, USA, M50.Google Scholar
21Buchanan, N.P., Holt, J.M., Kimbler, L.B., and Moritz, J.S. 2007. Nutrient composition and digestibility of organic broiler diets and pasture forages. Journal of Applied Poultry Research 16:1321.Google Scholar
22Buchanan, N.P., Kimbler, L.B., Parsons, A.S., Seidel, G.E., Bryan, W.B., Felton, E.D., and Moritz, J.S. 2005. The effects of non-starch polysaccharide enzyme addition and dietary energy restriction on performance and carcass quality of organic broiler chickens. Journal of Applied Poultry Research 14:112.Google Scholar
23Ayerza, R. and Coates, W. 2001. Omega-3 enriched eggs: The influence of dietary α-linolenic fatty acid source on egg production and composition. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 81:355362.Google Scholar