Fucoxanthin promotes the conversion efficiency of alpha-linolenic acid in feeding to docosahexaenoic acid in quail egg yolk

Wen-Lei Guo; Shuai-Shuai Fu; Xiao-Yue Li; Cheng-Cheng Wang; Chang-Hu Xue; Yu-Ming Wang; Tian-Tian Zhang

doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142915

Fucoxanthin promotes the conversion efficiency of alpha-linolenic acid in feeding to docosahexaenoic acid in quail egg yolk

Food Chem. 2025 Jan 15:472:142915. doi: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142915. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Wen-Lei Guo¹, Shuai-Shuai Fu¹, Xiao-Yue Li¹, Cheng-Cheng Wang¹, Chang-Hu Xue², Yu-Ming Wang³, Tian-Tian Zhang⁴

Affiliations

¹ SKL of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, No.1299 Sansha Road, Qingdao 266404, PR China.
² SKL of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, No.1299 Sansha Road, Qingdao 266404, PR China; Sanya Institute of Oceanography, Ocean University of China, Sanya 572000, PR China.
³ SKL of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, No.1299 Sansha Road, Qingdao 266404, PR China; Sanya Institute of Oceanography, Ocean University of China, Sanya 572000, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].
⁴ SKL of Marine Food Processing & Safety Control, College of Food Science and Engineering, Ocean University of China, No.1299 Sansha Road, Qingdao 266404, PR China. Electronic address: [email protected].

PMID: 39824082
DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2025.142915

Abstract

The conversion of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) in feed to DHA in egg is inefficient, so there is a critical need for feed additives that can enhance the enrichment of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in egg yolk from ALA-rich feed. The present study evaluated the impact of dietary fucoxanthin on the conversion efficiency of ALA in feed to DHA in quail egg yolk. Results showed that the addition of 0.02 % fucoxanthin to the diet supplemented with 0.5 % ALA significantly enhanced the DHA conversion rate by 51.48 % and increased DHA content by 32.82 %, matching levels observed with 1 % ALA supplementation during the peak laying period. Importantly, fucoxanthin did not alter the proportion of phospholipid-bound DHA. These findings suggest that fucoxanthin, as a feed additive, has the potential to promote the accumulation of DHA in avian eggs when supplemented with ALA in feed.

Keywords: Alpha-linolenic acid; Conversion efficiency; Docosahexaenoic acid; Fucoxanthin; Quail egg.