AU679329B2 - Method and feedstuff for the production of eggs - Google Patents

Description

WO 95/21539 PCT/AU95/00056 1 METHOD AND FEEDSTUFF FOR THE PRODUCTION OF EGGS FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a method and feedstuffs for the production of eggs from poultry and more particularly to a method and feedstuff which will produce eggs having an enhanced Omega-3 fatty acid content.

BACKGROUND ART There has be- considerable scientific interest in the Omega-3 long ciain polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) in human health. The n-3 PUFA are fatty acids having one of their double bonds three carbons in from the terminal methyl group in the chain. The most common of the n-3 PUFA are alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, 18:3, n-3), eicosopentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5, n-3) and docosohexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6, A few vegetable oils such as linseed, rapeseed (canola) and soybean contain ALA while fish are the primary source of EPA and DHA.

It has been recognised for some time that there is excess fat in the diet of many humans, particularly in the western world. It has more recently been recognised that not only do we consume too much fat but the type of fat we consume is incorrectly balanced. It has been found, for instance, that those who consume significant amounts of fish on a regular basis, throughout their life, generally have a reduced incidence of death from heart disease.

Until recently nutritionists thought that certain polyunsaturated fatty acids particularly linoleic acid (an omega-6 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid) were of central importance in our diet. Manufacturers therefore concentrated on providing foods such as cooking oils, margarines, mayonnaise and soft spreads that were high in linoleic acid. It has now been realised that this approach totally overlooked the role of the omega-3 PUFA and that, in fact, the question is not which of these two "families" of PUFA is most important, but rather what is WO 95/21539 PCT/AU95/00056 2 the optimum ratio of omega-6 PUFA to omega-3 PUFA in our diet. In a typical "western" diet the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 may be 25 or 30:1; the ideal ratio is less than 10:1.

It has also been known that the fatty acid profile of the eggs of poultry may be altered by feeding to the female birds a diet high in a particular type of fatty acid including the omega-3 PUFA. The present inventors and others have previously produced eggs having an enhanced omega-3 PUFA however there have been a number of problems with the production of such eggs from the feedstuffs so far utilised for this purpose. The eggs have been inconsistent as to their actual omega-3 PUFA content; there have been common incidences of the development of off-flavours in the eggs; the storage qualities of the eggs have been, in some cases, questionable; and the ratio of omega-6 PUFA:omega-3 PUFA has been highly variable.

The present invention is directed to a feedstuff and a method for the production of omega-3 PUFA enhanced eggs which ameliorates at least some, and in preferred cases all, of the deficiencies of known omega-3 PUFA enhanced eggs.

DISCLOSURE OF THE PRESENT INVENTION In a first aspect the present invention consists in a feedstuff for laying poultry suitable to induce poultry consuming the feedstuff to produce eggs having an increased omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) content, the feedstuff containing from 1.5% to 2.5% by weight of a fish oil, or oils, having at least 20% by weight of its, or their combined, fatty acids content in the form of omega-3 polyunsaturated acids, from 1% to 4% by weight of linseed oil, an effective amount of at least one feed acceptable WO 95/21539 PCT/AU95/00056 3 antioxidant, and the balance of the feedstuff being a suitable commercial laying ration containing insignificant amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, at least 25% of the total omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids present in the feedstuff being in a form other than alpha linolenic acid and the feedstuff having a total polyunsaturated fatty acid content of no more than 5.5% by weight.

In another aspect the present invention consists in a feed supplement for addition to a suitable commercial laying ration containing no more than small amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the feed supplement containing from 20% to 55% by weight of a fish oil, or oils, having at least 20% by weight of its, or their combined, fatty acids content in the form of omega-3 polyunsaturated acids, from 20% to 55% by weight of linseed oil, and an effective amount of at least one feed acceptable antioxidant.

In a third aspect the present invention consists in a method for the production of eggs having an enhanced omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content comprising feeding to laying poultry a feedstuff according to the present invention.

The fish oil preferably will have an omega-3 PUFA content of at least 25% by weight and most preferably by weight. A suitable oil such as mackerel oil is commercially available, however, other suitable fish oils may be used with equal effect.

These oils will typically have a low alpha linolenic acid content and a very low ratio of omega-6 PUFA: omega-3 PUFA The linseed oil is preferably introduced as a pure oil however it is possible to introduce this oil in the form of flax seeds. The ratio of the fish oil and 1 WO 95/21539 PCT/AU95/00056 4 the linseed oil must be adjusted according to their respective fatty acid profile, however, ratios of 55% to by weight of fish oil or oils to 45% to 55% by weight of linseed oil are preferred. The fish oil and the linseed oil can be incorporated into the feedstuff or the feed additive as a dry powder having been adsorbed onto a particulate carrier such as milled lucerne meal. This greatly facilitates the mixing of the feedstuff to ensure a uniform distribution of the oils through the feedstuff or feed supplement. In the case of a dry powder, it has been found that 'a ratio of 40% to 60%, more preferably to 55%, by weight of oil to 60% to 40%, more preferably to 45%, by weight of particulate carrier is acceptable. A most preferred ratio of oils to carrier is to have them present in equal proportions plus or minus 1% by weight.

The fish oil and linseed oil can also be incorporated into the feedstuff as a liquid. The liquid can be shipped to egg producers who mix the liquid with an appropriate quantity of laying ration.

The antioxidant or antioxidants are preferably so selected, and are present in sufficient amounts, to preserve the oils from developing rancidity in the feedstuff or the feed supplement and in addition in-vivo in the bird and in-ovo in the egg. 'The preferred antioxidant to preserve the oils in the feedstuff or supplement is ethoxyquin while that to preserve the oils in-vivo and in-ovo is vitamin E. The combined antioxidants are preferably present in an amount of 1% by weight of the feed supplement or less. In the case of the particularly preferred antioxidants their combined weight need only amount to .0005% by weight of the feedstuff.

The feedstuff according to the present invention should be fed to the birds in a normal amount according to their energy requirements. This will vary with

I

WO 95/21539 PCT/AU95/00056 5 environmental factors from about 90g/day in hot weather to 140g/day in cold conditions. The oil intake of the birds is desirably maintained substantially constant despite variations in energy requirements so that the proportion of the oils in the diet may need to be varied to allow for this.

The total fat in the feedstuff will preferably contribute less than 6% of a laying hen's diet.

It has been found that preferred embodiments of the method according to this invention have yielded highly reproducible results. The eggs produced have all had inexcess of 400mg of omega-3 PUFA in a 55g egg. The ratio of omega-6 PUFA omega-3 PUFA is below 5:1 and is commonly as low as 1.5:1. Eggs produced by the method according to the present invention have a well balanced nutritional profile and are suitable to be consumed as a substantial part of the diet. In addition to their suitability for inclusion in the adult diet they are also particularly useful as a means of introducing omega-3 PUFA into infant formulae which are noticeably lacking in these fatty acids notwithstanding their presence in mothers milk and their essential role in human development.

BEST MODE OF CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter given by way of example only are preferred embodiments of the present invention.

Feed Supplement An example of the preferred feed supplement, which was formulated by Rhone-Poulenc Animal Nutrition Pty Ltd following discussion with the inventors, according to the present invention comprises: Name Amount Lucerne 14% 499.500kg Antioxidant .500kg Linseed oil 250.000kg Mackerel oil 250.000kg WO 95/21539 PCT/AU95/00056 6 The antioxidant is Banox-E (Registered Trade Mark) containing 150g of vitamin E and 350g ethoxyquin.

This feed supplement is produced by merely mixing the ingredients together to give a dry flowable powder which is added to a commercial laying ration at the rate of 60-80kg/tonne.

The feed supplement has an omega-3 PUFA content of greater than 19.0% and an omega-6 PUFA to omega-3 PUFA ratio of less than 0.40.

The nutrient composition of this feed supplement is:- Code Amount Code Amount PROTEIN 6.993 MOISTURE 5.245 FIBRE 13.487 FAT 50.999 LINOLEIC A 4.800 OMEGA-3 20.700 CALCIUM 0.440 ASH 3.946 P (TOTAL) 0.110 P (AVAIL) 0.040 LYSINE TOT 0.350 M.E. POULT 20.748 MJ/kg METHIONINE 0.090 LYS AV PLT 0.245 ISOLEUCINE 0.330 METH+CYST 0.165 THREONINE 0.305 LEUCINE 0.574 CHOLINE 774.225 mg/kg TRYPTOPHAN 0.105 Feedstuff The feed supplement was dry mixed with a commercial laying hen feed ration so as to form eight percent by weight of the final feedstuff. The feedstuff had 2% by weight of fish oil, and 2% by weight of linseed oil. The percentage by weight of omega-3 PUFA was 1.65%, the percentage by weight of omega-6 PUFA was 0.53%, and the omega-6 PUFA to omega-3 PUFA ratio was 0.32.

Egg Production One hundred and twenty White Leghorn hens were fed a commercial laying ration containing 8% of the feed supplement described above. Hens were allowed to adjust to the diet and experimental conditions for 17 days before I WO 95/21539 PCT/AU95/00056 7 egg sampling occurred.

The eggs were found to have the following nutrient status.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Servings Per Package: 12 Servings Size Per 55g 100g ENERGY 330 kJ 600 kJ PROTEIN 6.7 g 12.2 g CARBOHYDRATE-TOTAL 0.43g 0.78 g SUGARS 0.14g 0.25 g FAT TOTAL 5.5 g 10.0 g SATURATED FAT 2.1 g 3.8 g UNSATURATED FAT 3.4 g 6.2 g OMEGA-3 0.40g 0.73 g SODIUM 60 mg 109 mg POTASSIUM 64 mg 116 mg OMEGA-6:OMEGA-3 ratio <2:1 <2:1 It will be appreciated by persons skilled in the art that numerous variations and/or modifications may be made to the invention as shown in the specific embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as broadly described. The present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims (22)

1. A feedstuff for laying poultry suitable to induce poultry consuming the feedstuff to produce eggs having an increased omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content (PUFA), the feedstuff containing from 1.5% to 2.5% by weight of a fish oil, or oils, having at least 20% by weight of its, or their combined, fatty acids content in the form of omega-3 polyunsaturated acids, from 1% to 4% by weight of linseed oil, an effective amount of at least one feed acceptable antioxidant, and the balance of the feedstuff being a suitable commercial laying ration containing insignificant amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, at least 25% of the total omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids present in the feedstuff being in a form other than alpha linolenic acid and the feedstuff having a total polyunsaturated fatty acid content of no more than 5.5% by weight.

2. A feedstuff as in claim 1, wherein the fish oil has an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids content of at least by weight and most preferably 30% by weight.

3. A feedstuff as in claims 1 or 2 wherein the fish oil has a ratio of omega-6 PUFA omega-3 PUFA which is less than

4. A feedstuff as in claims 2 or 3 wherein the fish oil is mackerel oil. A feedstuff as in any one of the preceding claims wherein the linseed oil is introduced to the feedstuff as a pure oil or is in the form of flax seeds.

6. A feedstuff as in any one of the preceding claims when the ratio of the fish oil and the linseed oil is to 45% by weight of fish oil or oils to 45% to 55% by weight of linseed oil. WO 95/21539 PCT/AU95/00056 9

7. A feedstuff according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the fish oil and the linseed oil are incorporated into the feedstuff as a dry powder having been adsorbed onto a particulate carrier.

8. A feedstuff as in claim 7 wherein the ratio of oil to a particulate carrier is 40% to 60%, more preferably to 55%, by weight of oil to 60% to 40%, more preferably to 45%, by weight of particulate carrier.

9. A feedstuff as in claim 7 or 8 wherein the particulate carrier is willed lucerne meal. A feedstuff-according to any one of claims 1-6 wherein the fish oil and linseed oil are incorporated into the feedstuff as a liquid.

11. A feedstuff according to any one of the preceding claims wherein the antioxidant to preserve the oils in the feedstuff is ethoxyquin and the antioxidant to preserve the oils in-vivo and in-ovo is vitamin E.

12. A feed supplement for addition to a suitable commercial laying ration containing no more than small amounts of polyunsaturated fatty acids, the feed supplement containing from 20% to 55% by weight of a fish oil, or oils, having at least 20% by weight of its, or their combined, fatty acids content in the form of omega-3 polyunsaturated acids, from 20% to 55% by weight of linseed oil, and an effective amount of at least one feed acceptable antioxidant.

13. A feed supplement as in claim 12 wherein the fish oil has an omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids content of at least 25% by weight and most preferably 30% by weight.

14. A feed supplement as in claims 12 or 13 wherein the fish oil has a ratio of omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids less than

15. A feed supplement as in any one of claims 12-14 I- WO 95/21539 PCT/AU95/00056 10 wherein the fish oil is mackerel oil.

16. A feed supplement as in any one of claims 12-15 wherein the linseed oil is introduced as a pure oil or is in the form of flax seeds.

17. A feed supplement as in any one of claims 12-16 wherein the ratio of the fish oil and the linseed oil is to 45% by weight of fish oil or oils to 45% to 55% by weighi: of linseed oil.

18. A feed supplement as in any one of claims 12-17 wherein the fish oil and the linseed oil are incorporated into the feed supplement as a dry powder having been adsorbed onto a particulate carrier.

19. A feed supplement as in claim 18 wherein the oil to particulate carrier ratio is 40% to 60%, more preferably 45% to 55%, by weight of oil to 60% to 40%, more preferably 55% to 45%, by weight of particulate carrier. A feed supplement as in claim 18 or 19 wherein the particulate carrier is milled lucerne meal.

21. A feed supplement as in any one of claims 12-17 wherein the fish oil and linseed are incorporated into the feed supplement as a liquid.

22. A feed supplement as in any one of claims 12-21 wherein the antioxidant to preserve the oils in the feed supplement is ethoxyquin and the antioxidant to preserve the oils in-vivo and in-ovo is vitamin E.

23. A feed supplement as in claim 22 wherein the combined antioxidants are present in an amount of 1% by weight of feed supplement or less.

24. A method for the production of eggs having an enhanced omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content comprising feeding to laying poultry a feedstuff according to any one of claims 1-11. A method for the production of eggs having an enhanced omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content as in claim 24 wherein the quantity of feedstuff fed to the WO 95/21539 PMAIU9500056 11 laying poultry is in the range 90g/day to 140g/day with the oil intake of the bird maintained substantially constant.

26. A method for the production of eggs having an enhanced omega-3 polyunsaturatt-d fatty acid content as in claims 24 or 25 wherein the total fat in the feedstuff contributes less than 6% of a laying hen's diet. Un0 IN r TERNATIONAL SEARCH REPORT International application No. PCT/AU 95/00056 A. CLASSIFICATION OF SUBJECT MAITER A. CLASSIFICATION OF SUBJECT MATTER Int. Cl. 6 A23K 1/10 1/14 1/16 1/18 According to International Patent Classification (IPC) or to both national classification and IPC B. FIELDS SEARCHED Minimum documentation searched (classification system followed by classification symbols) IPC A23K 1/10 1/14 1/16 1/18 Documentation searched other than minimum documentation to the extent that such documents are included in the fields searched AU IPC as above Electronic data base consulted during the international search (name of data base, and where practicable, search terms used) SASM: (LINSEED OR FLAX OR FLAXSEED OR LINUM OR USITAT: OR LINOLENIC) AND (FISH OR COD OR MACKEREL OR HERRING OR OMEGA OR N-3) AND (FEED: OR FODDER OR FOOD OR EGG) WPAT: (LINSEED OR FLAX OR FLAXSEED OR LINUM OR USITAT: OR LINOLENIC) AND A23K/IC JAPIO: AS ABOVE FOR WPAT C. DOCUMENTS CONSIDERED TO BE RELEVANT Category* A A Citation of document, with indication, where appropriate, of the relevant passages AU,A, 19834/88 (SCHWARTZ AND WEISS) 29 December 1988 (29.12.88) Entire Document DE,A, 3721137 (DIETL) 5 January 1989 (05.01.89) Entire Document Relevant to Claim No. 1-26 1-26 X Further documents are listed in the continuation of Box C. See patent family annex. Special categories of cited documents later document published after the international filing date or priority date and not in conflict document definin the eneral state of the art which is with the application but cited to understand dme not considered to e ofparticular relevance principle or theory underlying the invention earlier document but published on or after the document of particular relevance; the claimed international filing date invention cannot be considered novel or cannot be document which may throw doubts on priority claim(s) considered to involve an inventive step when the or which is cited to establish the publication date of document is taken alone another citation or other special reason (as specified) document of particular relevance; the claimed document referring to an oral disclosure, use, invention cannot be considered to involve an exhibition or other means inventive step when the documert is combined document published prior to the international filing date with one or more other such documents, such but later than the priority date claimed combination being obvious to a person skilled in the art document member of the same patent family Date of the actual completion of the international search Date of mailing of the international search report 22 March 1995 (22.03.95) rso 4Va. c \clq (r3o. a Name and mailing address of the ISA/AU Authorized officer AUSTRALIAN INDUSTRIAL PROPERTY ORGANISATION PO BOX 200 WODEN ACT 2606 A AUSTRALIA JIM DZIE I Facsimile No, 06 2853929 Telephone No. (06) 2832495 Form PCT/ISA/210 (continuation of first sheet (July 1992) cophin INTERNATIONAL SEARCH REPORT IICT/AU 95/00056 C(Continuation). DOCUMENTS CONSIDERE D TO BE RELEVANT Category* A A A Citation of document, with indication, where appropriate of the relevant passages US,A, 5012761 (OH) 7 May 1991 (07.05.91) Table I DE,A, 4314899 (WOOBANG LAND CO LTD) 9 December 1993 (09.12.93) Table I US,A, 5234699 (YEO) 10 August 1993 (10.08.93) Entire Document Relevant to Claim No. 1-26 1-26 1-26 Form PCT/ISA/210 (continuation of second sheet)(July 1992) cophin INTERNATIONAL SEARCH REPORT Information on patent family membe. International application No. PCT/AU 95/00056 This Annex lists the known publication level patent family members relating to the patent documents cited in the above-mentioned international search report. The Australian Patent Office is in no way liable for these particulars which are merely given for the purpose of information. Patent Document Cited in Search Patent Family Member Report AU 19834/88 US 4918104 WO 8810112 US 5234699 CA 2075133 DE 4227453 KR 9405180 END OF ANNEX Form PCT/ISA/210(patent family annex)(July 1992) cophin L la