Natural Tocopherol Enrichment and Its Effect inn−3 Fatty Acid Modified Chicken Eggs

Two hundred and forty White Leghorn laying hens were fed an n −3 fatty acid modified diet supplemented with a natural tocopherol (TOC) mixture at 0, 200, 400, and 800 mg/kg for 7 weeks. Egg yolk TOC content increased linearly ( P < 0.05) up to day 8 at each level of dietary supplementation. The fatty acid profile of egg yolks became relatively constant at day 8 with the exception of C20:4 n 6, which stabilized by day 16. From day 0 to day 8 of the feeding, the contents of all n −3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in egg yolk lipids significantly increased, with a concomitant decrease in C18:1 ( P < 0.05). Lipid stability of egg yolk was significantly improved with increasing dietary TOC supplementation ( P < 0.05). In short, n −3 fatty acid modified eggs can be also simultaneously enriched with natural tocopherols through dietary modification to make egg yolk lipid more stable.