Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine the effect of dietary oils on the levels of the ${\gamma}-linolenic$ acid in chicken meat lipids. Three hundred ten five, 1-d old, male, Ross strain, broiler chicks were fed for 35 d to compare diets containing evening primrose oil(EPO) and hemp seed oil(HO) to a control diet. Fatty acid composition of lipid from chicken skin, thigh and breast muscle were determined at the end of the trial. The level of ${\gamma}-linolenic$ acid of lipids from chicken meat fed diets containing EPO or HO was significantly higher than that of the control group(p<0.05). The level of ${\gamma}-linolenic$ acid of lipids from chicken skin was highest in the group, which had been fed the EPO 0.85%, followed in order by EPO 0.7%, 0.5%, EPO mixed oil, HO and HO mixed oil. There was a significant difference in the level of ${\gamma}-linolenic$ acid of chicken skin between the control and treatment groups(p<0.05). The level of ${\gamma}-linolenic$ acid of lipids from chicken thigh muscle was also similar to skin, and significantly higher than that of the control group(p<0.05). The level of ${\gamma}-linolenic$ acid of lipids from chicken breast muscle was highest in the group, which had been fed the EPO 0.5%, followed in order by EPO 0.7%, 0.85%, HO 0.5% and HO mixed oil. There was a significant difference in the level of ${\gamma}-linolenic$ acid of chicken breast muscle between the control and treatment groups(p<0.05).
