The effect of dietary vitamin E and selenium supplements on the fatty acid profile and quality traits of eggs

The present study investigated the effect of supplementing a diet containing 5 % soybean oil, which provided 30 g/kg of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), with two levels of vitamin E (30 or 60 mg/kg, as-is basis) in combination with two levels of selenium (0.15 or 0.30 mg/kg, as-is basis) on hen performance, the fatty acid profile and antioxidant status of the yolk. A 12-week study was performed on 32 Lohmann Brown hens with 8 birds in each group. Dietary treatments had no influence on average egg weight and the yolk/albumen ratio, whereas an increased selenium content of diets reduced the intensity of yolk colour (P=0.019). Increased dietary levels of vitamin E had no effect on the fatty acid profile of yolk lipids. In the yolk with a higher selenium content, the concentration of n-3 PUFAs was significantly higher (C18:3n-3, P=0.001; C22:5n-3, P=0.004), whereas the amount of n-6 PUFAs was significantly lower (C18:2n-6, P=0.015; C20:4n-6, P=0.025). A higher vitamin E content of diets significantly (P=0.028) increased lipid-soluble antioxidative capacity (ACL), whereas increased dietary sele nium levels had no effect on ACL. The noted differences in the chemical composition and physicochemical properties of eggs had no influence on their sensory attributes. In conclusion, increasing the inclusion levels of vitamin E and selenium in a diet with a high PUFA content has no effect on egg production and quality, but it increases the concentrations of both antioxidants and retinol in the yolk as well as ACL values and improves the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio in the yolk.