# Supplementing Sacha Inchi (Plukenetia volubilis) Oil in Laying Hen Diets: Influences on Production Performance, Egg Quality and Fatty Acid Profile

## TL;DR

Adding Sacha inchi oil to laying hen diets improves egg quality and increases healthy omega-3 fatty acids in yolks without harming productivity.

## Contribution

This study demonstrates that Sacha inchi oil can effectively enrich eggs with n-3 PUFA while improving feed efficiency in laying hens.

## Key findings

- Sacha inchi oil reduced feed intake and improved feed efficiency in laying hens.
- Higher SIO levels increased yolk weight and n-3 PUFA content while lowering the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio.
- Egg production and quality remained unaffected despite SIO supplementation.

## Abstract

This study examined the influences of Sacha inchi oil (SIO) inclusion in laying hen diets on their egg production, quality, and yolk fatty acid composition. A total of 192 hens were assigned to diets containing 0%, 1.5%, 3%, or 4.5% SIO over 56 days. Increasing dietary SIO levels significantly reduced feed intake while improving feed efficiency without negatively affecting egg production rates. Higher SIO inclusion led to increased yolk weight while maintaining other quality parameters. Importantly, SIO supplementation significantly enhanced yolk omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) proportion and reduced the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio in a dose-dependent manner, contributing to healthier fatty acid profiles in eggs. The study highlights the potential of SIO as a n-3 PUFA-rich feed source to produce health benefit-added eggs. Given the increasing consumer demand for functional foods, using 3% and 4.5% SIO in laying hen diets can improve the nutritional quality of eggs by enriching them with n-3 PUFA without adverse effects on productivity. Further research is recommended to evaluate the preservation and oxidative stability of n-3 PUFA-enriched eggs produced using SIO supplementation under various storage conditions to ensure quality maintenance during shelf life.

The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) in animal-derived foods are increasingly important for human health. Sacha inchi (Plukenetia volubilis L.), rich in n-3 PUFA, is a promising feedstuff for producing n-3 PUFA-enriched animal products. However, research on dietary Sacha inchi oil (SIO) supplementation in laying hens remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of SIO on production performance, egg quality, and yolk fatty acid (FA) composition in laying hens. A total of 192 hybrid hens [(♂ White Leghorn × ♀ Egyptian Fayoumi); initial body weight: 1910 ± 22.14 g; age: 25 weeks old] were randomly assigned one of the four diets: a basal diet (CONT), and three tested diets based on CONT with the addition of 1.5%, 3.0%, and 4.5% SIO (as-feed basis) (SI15, SI30, and SI45, respectively). Each dietary treatment included 48 hens housed in 12 battery cages for 56 days with 4 birds per cage. Increasing dietary SIO levels significantly reduced average daily feed intake (p < 0.05). Egg yolk weight linearly increased (p < 0.05) with higher SIO inclusion, while other egg quality traits were unaffected. SIO supplementation significantly increased (p = 0.001) yolk n-3 PUFA level (from 0.79% to 8.29% on day 28, and from 0.87% to 9.13% on day 56) and substantially reduced the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio by about nine-fold on both 28 and 56 days. In conclusion, SIO is a promising n-3 PUFA-rich feed ingredient for egg production. Adding 3.0–4.5% SIO in laying hen diets can enhance egg yolk weight and n-3 PUFA level while reducing feed intake without negatively affecting egg production or quality.