Egg yolk polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E content alters the tocopherol status of hatched chicks

Polyunsaturated fatty acid composition and tocopherol status of newly hatched chicks from hens fed diets containing 3.5% menhaden (MO), flax (LO), palm (PO), or sunflower oils (SO) with (+T) or without tocopherols were examined. Addition of tocopherols increased (P < 0.05) the tocopherol content of eggs and hatched chick tissues. The total tocopherol content was lower (P < 0.05) in MO + T eggs than in LO + T, PO + T, or SO + T eggs. The tocopherol content of chick tissues was as follows liver > plasma > brain. Among the tocopherol-supplemented group, The MO + T chicks incorporated the lowest (P < 0.05) level of total tocopherols in the liver and plasma when compared to chicks hatched from LO + T, PO + T, or SO + T eggs. Brain tissue incorporated the lowest level of tocopherols among all the tissues examined. The fourfold increase in egg tocopherols did not alter the brain tocopherol in MO + T, LO + T, or SO + T chicks. In the MO and LO eggs, there was a significant increase (P < 0.05) in n-3 PUFA when compared with SO or PO eggs. The C22:6 n-3 content in liver and plasma was higher (P < 0.05) in chicks hatched from MO and LO eggs than in chicks hatched from PO or SO eggs. The brain tissue of MO chicks incorporated the highest (P < 0.05) levels of C22:6 n-3 followed by the brain tissue of LO chicks.