Fatty acid profile, lipid indices and lipid peroxidation in chicken meat: the effect of dietary vegetable oils and vitamin C/selenium supplement

Incorporating vegetable oils into chicken diets enhances the meat's beneficial fatty acids but accelerates lipid peroxidation, necessitating dietary antioxidants. This study evaluated the effect of a combination of 150 mg kg-1 vitamin C and 0.3 mg kg-1 organic selenium on the fatty acid profile and lipid peroxidation of chicken meat, focusing on the calculation of fatty acid metabolism indices in diets containing either rapeseed oil (RO) or pumpkin seed oil (PO). Four hundred male Hybro chicks were assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial design over 42 days, testing oil types (RO vs. PO) and supplements (with or without vitamin C/selenium). Vitamin C/selenium increased breast meat polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs; C18:2, C18:3) by enhancing stearoyl-CoA desaturase 18 activity (4.81 vs.3.81) while reducing thioesterase activity (29.47 vs. 37.31, P < 0.05). Increased C18:3 n-3 levels in breast and leg meat were associated with shifts in Δ6-desaturase activity, irrespective of oil (P = 0.067). After 7 days at 4 °C, malondialdehyde levels were lower in the leg meat of RO-fed chickens than PO-fed (0.348 vs. 0.561 mg kg-1, P < 0.05), but differences in breast meat were insignificant. The vitamin C/selenium supplementation consistently reduced malondialdehyde across meat types during storage, with pronounced effects on breast meat at day 7 (0.122 vs. 0.258 mg kg-1, P < 0.05). Fatty acid profiles and meat type influenced antioxidant efficacy. Overall, antioxidant supplements improved oxidative stability and PUFA content in breast meat, safeguarding its quality.