Mortierella alpina feed supplementation enriched hen eggs with DHA and AA

Abstract

Eggs enriched with long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are considered an important nutrition source. Mortierella alpina is a food-grade oleaginous fungus with a high level of PUFAs, especially arachidonic acid (AA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). In this study, hens were randomly assigned to three diet groups: control, 5% and 10% M. alpina. Our data indicated that EPA, being converted to docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), and AA were accumulated in the yolk after 10 days of feeding. The amount of DHA tripled and AA doubled compared with the control eggs. The ratio of ω-6 to ω-3 PUFAs in those eggs decreased from approximately 13 : 1 to 8 : 1. These results suggest that M. alpina may represent a valuable source for producing functional eggs enriched with DHA and AA.