Effects of soybean oil replacement by açai oil in laying hen diets on fatty acid profile and egg quality

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine whether substitution of soybean oil by acai oil in the feed of laying hens at the end of the production cycle would improve health and performance, as well as egg quality. We used 56 laying hens (Hy Line Brown; 80 weeks old). The animals were kept in an experimental house, housed in cages with four animals each in a completely randomized design, with two treatments of seven replicates each. The treatments were soybean group (basal diet) and acai group (basal diet, replacement of soybean oil by Acai oil). All animals received water ad libitum. Before starting the experiment, eggs were collected for 3 days to measure the initial laying rate, which was 85 % of the average postural rate for the groups. After 21 days of experiment, we observed lower laying rate and higher mortality rate in the acai-containing group than in the control group. By contrast, the acai group had higher egg weight than control group. Regarding the sum of saturated fatty acids ( Σ SFA), the control group displayed a higher sum than acai group. The sum of monounsaturated fatty acids ( Σ MUFA) was higher in the group consuming acai than in the soy group. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) analysis showed lower activity in the acai oil group than in the soy group. Lymphocyte counts were lower in the acai group than in the soy group at 21 days of experiment. These data suggest that replacement of soybean oil with acai berry in the laying hen feed stimulated antioxidant responses, resulting in better egg quality. However, we do not recommend the use of acai oil as a substitute for soybean oil, because it resulted in high mortality rates and lower production rates.