Researchers of IPB Produced Duck Eggs Rich in Antioxidant and Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Three researchers of the Department of Nutrition and Feed Technology of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry of Bogor Agricultural University (FAPET IPB), namely Sumiati, Widya Hermana, and Arif Darmawan carried out the research program on duck eggs. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of leaf powder Indigofera sp, cassava flour and lemuru fish oil to produce duck eggs rich in antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids, as well as its effects on the performance of laying ducks.
According to Sumiati, Indigofera sp. can replace soybean meal as a source of protein in laying duck ration, so that the importation of soybean meal will be reduced and the price of duck ration can be lower. "Lemuru fish canning industries produce oil waste that can be potentially reused because of its omega-3 content, they can be used to lower the cholesterol content of eggs and increase Omega 3 content significantly," said Professor of the Faculty of Animal Husbandry.
In this experiment, the researcher used 180 ducks. They were divided into three groups of treatment and five replications. Group 1, was ducks fed with control rations or rations used by farmers (P0). Group 2, was ducks fed ration using 2 percent lemuru oil plus 11 percent Indigofera sp (P1) flour. Group 3, was ducks fed ration using 2 percent lemuru oil plus 11 percent cassava flour (P2).
The result of experiment showed that P2 treatment was able to improve the efficiency of feed compared to control treatment (P0) and P1. In addition, P2 treatment also significantly increased egg production compared to P1 treatment.
P2 treatment was also able to increase vitamin A of egg significantly and reduce yolk cholesterol content compared to P1 treatment and more effective as a source of antioxidants characterized by significantly decreasing the value of egg MDA.
Treatment P1 and P2 were also known to reduce saturated fatty acids and increase the content of omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids with a balanced ratio. The conclusion of this study, the use of 11 percent cassava flour with 2 percent fish oil have improved the quality of duck eggs, they produced better performance than duck eggs fed use of 11 percent Indigofera sp flour with 2 percent fish oil.
The use of 2 percent fish oil and indigofera up to 11 percent proved not to decrease the performance of laying ducks and the physical quality of eggs, can lower egg fat and cholesterol, increase egg yolk score, increase vitamin A content and increase the content of omega 3 fatty acids.
The proteins in eggs are of very high. However, the price is relatively affordable and their availability are abundant in Indonesia. Nowadays it is necessary to improve the quality of egg nutrition. The designer egg production technology has produced eggs containing antioxidants and omega 3 fatty acids, is a must for us. (Wied)
