14E-33 |
Reduction of shell egg and laying hen's blood serum cholesterol by probiotic or prebiotic supplementation |
Y. C. CHEN and T. C. Chen. Dept. of Poultry Science, Mississippi State Univ., Campus Mailstop 9665, Mississippi State, MS 39762-9665 The potential connection between dietary cholesterol and arteriosclerosis has limited the consumption of egg and egg products. Lowering egg cholesterol should be of helpful in the marketing of eggs and egg products. This study was designed to investigate the effects of probiotic or prebiotic supplementation on shell egg and laying hen's blood serum. Sixty White Leghorn hens (27-week age) were divided randomly into three groups. Twenty birds were assigned with two birds per cage to one of each treatment: 1) basal diet (control), 2) basal diet with 5% (w/w) of a commercial probiotic product (Ecozyme®), and 3) basal diet containing 1% (w/w) of a commercial prebiotic product (Raftilose® P95). Yolk and fecal cholesterol from each cage were measured weekly for four weeks. Cholesterol concentrations in the laying hen's blood serum along with the contents of the small intestine were measured at the fourth week of feeding. An enzymatic method was used to measured cholesterol (Pasin et al., 1998). Data were analyzed statistically. The probiotic supplementation reduced (p<0.05) approximately 11.31% of yolk cholesterol when compared with those of the controls. However, the yolk cholesterol lowering effect (13.25%) for the prebiotic supplementation was observed after three weeks of feeding. The probiotic and prebiotic supplementation also reduced (p<0.05) 13.67% and 14.46% of blood serum cholesterol, respectively, in laying hens, while no differences (p>0.05) among the treatments for concentration and total excretion of cholesterol in the fecal material were observed. A higher (p<0.05) cholesterol concentration for small intestinal contents was observed in the controls than those of the probiotic or prebiotic supplementation treated birds. Results demonstrated that probiotic or prebiotic supplementation reduced the shell egg and laying hen's blood serum cholesterol. These results not only benefit the egg industry but also contribute to the health research in the future.
Session 14E, Nutraceuticals & Functional Foods: General I
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