Effects of dietary Purple Perilla seed oil on performance, egg quality, and yolk deposition of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and functional metabolites in laying ducks.

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of perilla seed oil (PSO) supplementation at graded levels (0%, 1%, 2%, and 4%) on production performance, egg quality, fatty acid composition, cholesterol levels, oxidative status, and metabolic profiles in laying ducks. A total of 256 Sansui ducks were randomly allotted to four treatment groups and fed the experimental diets for 8 weeks, including a 1-week adaptation period followed by 7 weeks of data collection. Results showed that supplementation with 2% and 4% PSO significantly increased egg production and egg weight (P < 0.05) without negatively affecting feed conversion efficiency or egg quality parameters (P > 0.05). Yolk total cholesterol was significantly reduced in ducks fed PSO (P < 0.05), and yolk vitamin A content exhibited a dose-dependent increase with increasing dietary PSO levels (P < 0.05). Furthermore, increasing dietary PSO levels led to a progressive elevation in yolk n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), accompanied by a marked reduction in the n-6/n-3 PUFAs ratio (P < 0.05). Metabolomic analysis identified 105 differential metabolites in the 4% PSO group, which were mainly associated with unsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis. In conclusion, dietary PSO supplementation improves laying performance and enhances the nutritional quality of duck eggs by increasing n-3 PUFAs content and reducing cholesterol. However, the potential oxidative stress associated with PUFAs enrichment should be considered, and antioxidant co-supplementation may be warranted in future applications.