• Korean Journal of Poultry Science
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.273-281
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• 2004

A feeding trial was conducted with Euglena strains grown under different media. The effect of supplementation of Euglena on the performance, nutrient availability and fatty acid composition of breast muscle was studied. In experiment I, two hundred ten hatched broiler chicks (Ross) were assigned to seven dietary treatments for 5 weeks. Each treatment consisted of 3 replications with 10 birds each. Control diet was formulated to have $22\%$ CP and 3,150 kcal ME/kg for starter diet, $19\%$ CP and 3,200 kcal ME/kg for finisher diet. Euglena gracilis Z. (EG) was added to control diet at the plevel of 0.25, 0.5, $1.0\%$ and Euglena gracilis Z. bleached and DHA enriched (EGBD; a strain mutated by streptomycin and cultivated in DHA enriched medium) at the level of 0.5, 1.0, $2.0\%$ in the diet. In experiment 2, two hundred fifty hatched broiler chicks (Ross) were assigned to five dietary treatments: T1; Control, T2; T1 + Euglena gracilis Z. DHA enriched (EGD; cultivated in DHA enriched medium) $0.5\%$, T3; T1 + EGD $1.0\%$, T4; T1 + EGBD $0.5\%$, T5; T1 + EGBD $1.0\%$. The weight gain and feed consumption were measured weekly. Fatty acid composition of breast muscle was determined. In experiments I and 2, Euglena supplementation had no significant effects on weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio. In experiment 1, EGBD treatments significantly increased DHA concentration but decreased concentration of linoleic acid and arachidonic acid in breast muscle. EGBD 2% treatment showed the highest DHA concentration (14.27%) which is 3.9 times of that of the control ($3.66\%$). In experiment 2, $1.0\%$ EGBD treatment showed highest EPA, lignoceric acid and DHA level in breast muscle (P<0.05). Also, EGD treatments significantly increased DHA and EPA concentration. It was concluded that EGBD and EGD can be supplemented to broiler diet to produce DHA enriched broiler meat.