Broiler feed enrichment with selenium, n-3 fatty acids and histidine. Implications for human health, meat quality and animal health

The composition of broiler feed concentrate is essential to meat quality and bird health. Meat composition may also affect human health. In Norway, broiler consumption is high and increasing, whereas the consumption of fish (giving long chain n-3 fatty ac ids) is decreasing. Broilers given traditional feed are rich in n-6 fatty acids. Feed supplementation with n-3 rich fat sources such as rapeseed oil and linseed oil will improve the n-3/n-6 ratio, increase the content of long chain n-3 and oleic acid in t he broiler meat. The trace element Se is an essential micronutrient for animals and humans. Selenium is important with respect to several health factors: protecting DNA and influencing red-ox regulation. An increase in Se intake may therefore cause posi tive health effects such as reduced cancer incidences, improved immune function and reduced blood lipid oxidation. In the last decade, restrictions in histidine-rich feed components such as blood-bone-meal and fish meal has decreased the amount of histi dine dipeptides carnosine and anserine in the feed. The histidine dipeptides have important roles as antioxidants and free radical scavengers, pH maintainers, anti-glycation and anti-aldehyde protectors, and may protect against stroke, myocardial infarcti on, Alzheimer and Parkinsons's diseases, and may even have role in appetite regulation. The ratio n-3/n-6 fatty acids, selenium and histidine dipeptides are all regulating metabolic processes that influence meat quality e.g. drip-loss, pH, shelf-life as well as health of the birds, e.g. ascites. Meat with improved content of these nutrients may also have positive effects on human health. A combination of feed supplementation and administration routines with different fat sources, amounts of Se and histi dine will be tested in this project The interaction effects of n-3 fatty acids, Se and histidine in the muscle is highly interesting and a new approach in meat quality research, that is not described earlier.