Author
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Holser, Ronald |
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Submitted to: Fats and Fatty Acids in Poultry Nutrition and Health
Publication Type: Book / Chapter Publication Acceptance Date: 4/23/2011 Publication Date: 10/1/2012 Citation: Holser, R.A. 2012. Oxidative stability of fatty acids. Fats and Fatty Acids in Poultry Nutrition and Health. p. 85-94. Interpretive Summary: The use of polyunsaturated fatty acids in poultry feeds follows the recent trend in the food industry to fortify processed foods with health promoting supplements. The chemical structure of these compounds presents a challenge to the feed formulator and producer that must contend with such unstable compounds. The addition of polyunsaturated acids to poultry feeds provides a straightforward approach to improve the health of the bird and the nutritional quality of poultry products. However, the highly unsaturated structure of compounds that are responsible for these benefits also makes them susceptible to oxidative degradation. This generates a loss of bioactivity and produces volatile degradation compounds. It is important to measure the extent of degradation and develop methods to limit this process. Recent investigations show that this degradation may be rapidly detected by spectroscopic techniques with minimal sample size and preparation. Encapsulation offers a new approach to stabilize unsaturated fatty acids and exploits solubility properties to surround the fatty acid with another lipid dispersed in an aqueous system. These novel techniques will allow the poultry industry to produce higher quality products. Technical Abstract: The use of polyunsaturated fatty acids in poultry feeds follows the recent trend in the food industry to fortify processed foods with health promoting supplements. The chemical structure of these compounds presents a challenge to the feed formulator and producer that must contend with such unstable compounds. The addition of polyunsaturated acids to poultry feeds provides a straightforward approach to improve the health of the bird and the nutritional quality of poultry products. However, the highly unsaturated structure of compounds that are responsible for these benefits also makes them susceptible to oxidative degradation. This generates a loss of bioactivity and produces volatile degradation compounds. It is important to measure the extent of degradation and develop methods to limit this process. Recent investigations show that this degradation may be rapidly detected by spectroscopic techniques with minimal sample size and preparation. Encapsulation offers a new approach to stabilize unsaturated fatty acids and exploits solubility properties to surround the fatty acid with another lipid dispersed in an aqueous system. These novel techniques will allow the poultry industry to produce higher quality products. |
