Influence of Dietary Supplementation with α‐Tocopheryl Acetate and Canthaxanthin on Cholesterol Oxidation in ω3 and ω6 Fatty Acid‐enriched Spray‐dried Eggs

The effect of feeding laying hens linseed oil or sunflower oil, with and without α‐tocopheryl acetate and/or canthaxanthin, was evaluated on cholesterol oxidation in spray‐dried whole egg at various storage periods. Storage of spray‐dried eggs at room temperature in the dark resulted in an increase in cholesterol oxidation products from 18.1 μg/g, after spray drying, to 39.3 μg/g, at 12 mo of storage. No differences were found with either dietary oil or canthaxanthin supplementation. However, α‐tocopheryl acetate supplementation resulted in a lower formation of cholesterol oxidation products during storage. No synergistic effect between α‐tocopherol and canthaxanthin was detected.