Effect of mineral mix-enriched essential oil supplementation on egg production, antibody titer, physical, and chemical egg quality, and yolk fatty acid profile of laying hens

Abstract

            This study aimed to determine the effect of mineral mix–enriched essential oil (MMEO) on egg production, antibody titer, egg quality, and yolk fatty acid of laying hens. A total of 1680 Lohman Brown laying hens, aged 31 weeks, were randomly divided into two dietary treatment groups. Each group consisted of 6 replicates, with 140 hens per treatment. The hens were fed either a basal diet (CON) or a diet supplemented with 0.25% mineral mix–enriched essential oil (MMEO) for a period of 6 weeks. Egg production and feed efficiency were calculated on every week. On days 21 and 42 of treatments, two eggs per replicate were randomly collected to determine the physical and chemical quality. The antioxidant activity and fatty acid profile of one egg per replicate were analysed at the end of week 6. The results showed that dietary treatment with MMEO increased egg production and feed efficiency compared to the control group. The inclusion increased yolk weight at week 3. However, MMEO supplementation did not affect the physical quality of eggs at week 6. In addition, dietary MMEO supplementation increased the antioxidant activity of yolk at week 6. On contrast, feeding MMEO did not affect the fatty acid profile of yolk. In conclusion, supplementation of mineral mix–enriched essential oil improved laying hens’ productivity and antioxidant activity of yolk.