The impact of dietary vegetable oil sources with or without vitamin E supplementation on the productive performance and egg yolk lipids of quail breeders

The goal of the present study was to discover the probable impact of sunflower oil (SUNO), linseed oil (LINO), and canola oil (CANO) with or without vitamin E treatments on the productive parameters and egg yolk lipid metabolism of quail eggs. In a completely randomized design, this trial was conducted as a 3 × 2 factorial trial with three sources of vegetable oils (SUNO 3 %, LINO 3 %, and CANO 3 %) and two types of vitamin E (0 and 250 mg kg −1 diet) in six treatments. A total of 192 female Japanese quails, 10 weeks of age, were randomly allocated to six dietary treatments, with 32 quails per treatment. Each treatment was further divided into four replicates of eight hens each. The experiment lasted for 10 weeks (10–20 weeks of age). The group of quails that received diets with canola oil at 15–20 weeks of age and linseed oil with vitamin E throughout the trial period (15–20 weeks of age) achieved the highest egg weight. The egg yolk malondialdehyde level was decreased at 15 and 20 weeks of age and after 15 and 30 d of storage in the refrigerator because of the addition of various vegetable oil sources in the diets. In summary, the productive criteria, lipid metabolism, and antioxidant properties of egg yolks in Japanese quail breeders ( Coturnix Japonica ) were all positively impacted by the combination of linseed oil, canola oil, and vitamin E during the laying period. Dietary supplementation with SUNO, LINO, and CANO improved the nutritive value of eggs by favorably modulating antioxidant stability and yolk metabolism lipids during refrigerated storage for 15 and 30 d, potentially participating in cardiovascular health and a more favorable dietary fatty acid profile.