Fatty acid composition of broiler abdominal fat as influenced by temperature, diet, age and sex

Abstract

1. Two environmentally controlled houses at 21°‐30°‐21°C (HT) and 21°C (LT) were used to study the effect of temperature on fatty acid composition of the abdominal fat of male and female broilers fed 13.8 and 13 MJ ME/kg diets and slaughtered at 34 and 54 d. 2. Extracts from the abdominal fat of 160 carcases and of the experimental foods were analysed for fatty acids by gas liquid chromatography. 3. Birds reared in HT had a significantly lower proportion of polyun‐saturated fatty acids (PUFA) in their abdominal fat between 34 and 54 d than birds in LT. The depot fat contents of oleic, linoleic and linolenic acids were all reduced by HT at 54 d. 4. For broilers slaughtered at 54 d, saturated fatty acid (SFA) content was much higher in females at high temperatures than in males while at low temperatures PUFA, especially linoleic, was much lower in males than in females. 5. Early finishing of broilers is advantageous from the viewpoint of fatty acid composition because the PUFA/SFA ratio declines significantly with age regardless of temperature.