Effect of dietary CLA administration on fatty acid composition and lipogenic and lipolytic enzyme activities in suckling and weaned piglets

The influence of dietary corn distillers dried grains with solubles during gestation of sows on fatty acid composition of colostrum and offspring

Thirty-six sows were randomly assigned to three treatments and fed 0, 125, or 250 g kg−1 corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), which aimed to evaluate the effects of feeding DDGS to sows during gestation on the fatty acid composition of colostrum and offspring. In colostrum, feeding 0–250 g kg−1 DDGS resulted in linear increase (P < 0.001) in linoleic acid (18:2n-6) level (from 14.7% to 19.8%) and total polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) level (from 16.9% to 22.8%), and linear decrease (P < 0.05) in levels of palmitic acid (16:0), oleic acid (18:1 cis-9), and total saturated fatty acid (SFA). In addition, the percentage of arachidonic acid (20:4n-6) in colostrum was increased from 0.56% to 1.23% (linear effect, P < 0.001, and quadratic effect, P = 0.010) with increasing level of DDGS. Feeding DDGS to sows resulted in linear increase (P < 0.05) in levels of 18:2n-6 (from 13.9% to 20.4%), 20:4n-6 (from 0.53% to 0.73%), docosahexaenoic acid (22:6n-3, from 0.28% to 0.37%), and total PUFA (from 15.9% to 22.6%), and linear decrease (P < 0.001) in levels of 16:0 and SFA of carcass of newborn piglets. The results demonstrated that feeding 125 or 250 g kg−1 corn DDGS to sows increased the proportions of 18:2n-6, 20:4n-6, and total PUFA and decreased the proportions of 16:0 and total SFA in sow colostrum and the carcasses of newborn piglets, implying that inclusion of corn DDGS in diets for sows can alter fatty composition of colostrum and piglets.

Production of conjugated fatty acids: A review of recent advances

Conjugated fatty acids (CFAs) have received a deal of attention due to the increasing understanding of their beneficial physiological effects, especially the anti-cancer effects and metabolism-regulation activities. However, the production of CFAs is generally difficult. Several challenges are the low CFAs content in natural sources, the difficulty to chemically synthesize target CFA isomers in high purity, and the sensitive characteristics of CFAs. In this article, the current technologies to produce CFAs, including physical, chemical, and biotechnical approaches were summarized, with a focus on the conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) and conjugated linolenic acids (CLNAs) which are the most common investigated CFAs. CFAs usually demonstrate stronger physiological effects than other non-conjugated fatty acids; however, they are more sensitive to heat and oxidation. Consequently, the quality control throughout the entire production process of CFAs is significant. Special attention was given to the micro- or nano-encapsulation which presented as an emerging technique to improve the bioavailability and storage stability of CFAs. The current applications of CFAs and the potential research directions were also discussed.

Supplementation with Fish Oil Improves Meat Fatty Acid Profile although Impairs Growth Performance of Early Weaned Rabbits

Our objective was to analyze the influence of replacing lard (control) with fish oil (FO) rich in long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet of rabbits weaned at 25 days of age on their growth performance, meat quality, cecal fermentation, and ileal morphology. Twenty-four litters (12 control and 12 FO) of nine kits each were fed the experimental diets from weaning (25 days) until slaughter at 60 days of age. Half of the litters (six per diet) were used to monitor productive performance, carcass characteristics, and ileal morphology, and cecal fermentation was assessed in the rest of litters. Diet had no influence on feed intake, meat color, and pH or cecal fermentation, but FO-fed rabbits had lower (p ≤ 0.049) average daily gain, chilled carcass weight, and perirenal fat than control rabbits. Fish oil inclusion in the diet resulted in lower morbidity (5.56% vs. 20.4%; p = 0.019) and a healthier fatty acid profile with lower (p < 0.001) n-6/n-3 ratios in both muscle and perirenal fat. In summary, the inclusion of FO in the diet of early weaned rabbits improved the fatty acid profile of rabbit meat and fat and decreased the morbidity, but growth performance was slightly reduced.

Effects of dietary fat saturation on fatty acid composition and gene transcription in different tissues of Iberian pigs

The effect of two diets, respectively enriched with SFA (S) and PUFA (P), on FA tissue composition and gene expression was studied in fattened Iberian pigs. The FA composition of adipose, muscular and liver tissues was affected by dietary treatment. S group showed higher MUFA and MUFA/SFA ratio and lower PUFA and n-6/n-3 ratio than P group in all analyzed tissues. In muscle and liver the extracted lipids were separated into neutral lipids and polar lipid fractions which showed significantly different responses to the dietary treatment, especially in liver where no significant effect of diet was observed in NL fraction. The expression of six candidate genes related to lipogenesis and FA oxidation was analyzed by qPCR. In liver, stearoyl CoA desaturase (SCD), acetyl CoA carboxylase alpha (ACACA) and malic enzyme 1 (ME1) genes showed higher expression in S group. SCD, ACACA, ME1, and fatty acid synthase (FASN) gene expression levels showed a wide variation across the tested tissues, with much higher expression levels observed in adipose tissue than other tissues. Tissue FA profile and gene expression results support the deposition of dietary FA, the lipogenic effect of dietary saturated fat in liver and the employment of saturated dietary fat for endogenous synthesis of MUFA in all the analyzed tissues.