Supplementation with green tea extract affects lipid metabolism and egg yolk lipid composition in laying hens

Abstract

Green tea extract (GTE) was fed to laying hens to determine its effects on lipid metabolism and egg production in the hens and the fatty acid composition in the egg yolk. Laying hens (288; 30-wk-old) were subjected to dietary treatments of GTE at a dose of 0%, 0.1%, or 0.3% (w/w) for 8 wk. In the hens, dietary GTE significantly decreased the levels of serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, mitigated the over deposition of abdominal fat, and increased the excretion of total fecal lipid and fecal cholesterol. GTE treatment did not alter the laying performance or the egg physical traits. In the egg yolk, a low dose of GTE (0.1%) significantly increased the concentrations of arachidonic acid (22.6%), docosahexaenoic acid (34.3%), and total polyunsaturated fatty acids (23.5%) after 8 wk of treatment. Supplementation with 0.1% GTE for 4 and 8 wk decreased the yolk cholesterol content by 16.6% and 19.1%, respectively. And 2 doses of GTE had the same effects in altering egg yolk fatty acid composition. Our data demonstrated that GTE supplementation in the diets of laying hens improved the egg yolk lipid composition without altering production performance.