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INTRODUCTION
A new objective is emerging in the feed business
towards the use of natural ingredients free from antibiotics,
synthetic colors and other chemicals. This is due partly to
consumers demand for natural organic products or “green
farming” in aquaculture, agriculture, poultry, pig and cattle,
and as a result of legislative actions that are eliminating the
chemical additives (Gadd, 1997; Sean, 2002; Uuganbayar et
al., 2005).
Astaxanthin is one of a group of natural pigments
known as carotenoids without vitamin A activity, but it
exhibits superior antioxidant properties to beta-carotene in a
number of in vitro studies (Terao, 1989; Miki, 1991;
Palozza and Krinsky 1992; Lawlor and O’Brien 1995;
Thompson et al., 1995). Animals cannot synthesize
carotenoids by themselves, thus ultimately they must obtain
these pigments from the plants and algae.
Astaxanthin serves as a kind of red pigment occurring
naturally in a wide variety of living organisms. Most
crustaceans, including shrimp, crawfish, crabs and lobster,
are tinted red by accumulated astaxanthin. The coloration of
fish is often due to astaxanthin; the pink flesh of a healthy
wild salmon is a conspicuous example (Skrede et al., 1990;
Nickell and Bromage, 1998). In commercial fish and
crustacean farms, astaxanthin is commonly added to feeds
in order to make up for the lack of a natural dietary source
of the pigment (Torrissen et al., 1989; Ingemansson et al.,
1993). Astaxanthin provides pigmentation in these farmed
animals, and is essential for their proper growth and
survival (Storebakken and Goswami, 1996; Jiri, 2000).
Studies showed that astaxanthin increased the yellow
pigmentation of skin, feet and beaks in chickens. Broilers
Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci.
Vol. 19, No. 7 : 1019 - 1025
July 2006
www.ajas.info
Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Astaxanthin on Production
Performance, Egg Quality in Layers and Meat Quality in Finishing Pigs
Y. X. Yang, Y. J. Kim, Z. Jin, J. D. Lohakare, C. H. Kim, S. H. Ohh, S. H. Lee, J. Y. Choi and B. J. Chae*
College of Animal Life Science, Kangwon National University, Chunchon 200-701, Korea
ABSTRACT : Two experiments were conducted separately to study the effect of astaxanthin on production performance and egg
quality in laying hens and meat quality in finishing pigs. In Experiment 1, four hundred Brown Hy-Line layers, 26 weeks of age, were
randomly divided into five treatments according to a single factorial arrangement. Each treatment had four replicates comprising 20
birds each. The dietary treatments were: 0, 0.7, 0.9, 1.1 and 1.3 ppm of astaxanthin fed for 14 days. Then all the birds were fed an
astaxanthin-free diet (0 ppm astaxanthin) for an additional 7 days. The results showed that dietary astaxanthin had no significant effect
on layer production performance. There was no significant effect (p>0.05) on egg weight, yolk height and Haugh unit (HU) with
increasing dietary astaxanthin level and increased storage time. Yolk color was linearly increased (p<0.01) with the increasing dietary
astaxanthin level and significantly decreased with the increasing storage time (p<0.05). The TBARS value in yolk decreased linearly
(p<0.05) with increasing amount of dietary astaxanthin and storage time. When the diets were replaced with the astaxanthin-free feeds,
all parameters concerning egg quality decreased with increasing days of measurement, especially the yolk color, and HU significantly
decreased (p<0.05). In experiment 2, thirty-six barrows (L×Y×D), 107±3.1 kg BW, were randomly divided into three treatments
according to a single factorial arrangement. Each treatment had three replicates comprising 4 pigs each. The dietary treatments were: 0,
1.5 and 3.0 ppm of astaxanthin fed for 14 days. The results showed that dietary astaxanthin had no significant effects on production
performance. There was a linear effect (p<0.05) on dressing percentage, backf.at thickness and loin muscle area with increasing dietary
astaxanthin level. There were no significant effects (p>0.05) on the TBARS value, drip loss, meat color, marbling and L*, a*, b* values.
Cholesterol concentration in meat was not affected by dietary addition of astaxanthin. It could be concluded that astaxanthin
supplementation was beneficial to improve egg yolk color; egg quality during storage and it also could improve the meat quality of
finishing pigs. (Key Words : Astaxanthin, Production Performance, Egg Quality, Meat Quality, Layers, Finishing Pigs)
* Corresponding Author: B. J. Chae. Tel: +82-33-250-8616,
Fax: +82-33-244-4946, E-mail: bjchae@kangwon.ac.kr
Received July 21, 2005; Accepted January 9, 2006
Yang et al., (2006) Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 19(7):1019-1025
1020
on the algae meal diet increased fertility, gained weight
faster, had a significantly higher breast muscle weights and
utilized feed more efficiently (Inborr, 1998). Similar effects
of astaxanthin as natural pigment on yolk color in layers has
also been reported (Elwinger et. al., 1997; Lee, et al., 1999).
But there is dearth of information on the antioxidant effects
of astaxanthin in eggs during storage, and its effect on
carcass traits and meat quality in finishing pig. Expecting
the positive effects of astaxanthin pigment as an antioxidant,
the following layer and pig experiments were conducted to
evaluate its effect on the production performance, egg
quality of layers and meat quality of finishing pigs.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Experiment 1
Experimental animals and diets : Hy-Line Brown layers
(n = 400; 26-wk-old) was randomly divided into five
treatments according to a single factorial arrangement. Each
treatment had four replicates with 20 birds each. Hens were
caged individually with the cage size as 0.2×0.2 m. The
photoperiod was set at 17L:7D throughout the 21 days
experiment. The layers were kept under a temperature of
25±5°C. They were fed corn-soybean basal diet that was
formulated to meet the nutrient requirements of layers
(NRC, 1994). Diets were supplemented with 5 levels (0, 0.7,
0.9, 1.1 and 1.3 ppm) of astaxanthin for the first 14 days,
then all birds were placed on the astaxanthin-free diet (0
ppm astaxanthin) for additional 7 days. Compositions of the
experimental diet were shown in Table 1. Feed and water
were provided ad libitum.
Parameters measured : Daily egg production and egg
weight were recorded. Feed consumption was measured
weekly during the 14 days experiment. Laying rate and feed
efficiency (kilograms of feed needed to produce a kilogram
of eggs) were calculated at the end of the experiment. At
14th day, ten eggs were collected from each replicate for
analysis. Further ten eggs were collected at 2-day interval
from each replicate at the 15th day, 17th day, 19th day, 21st
day during last week for egg quality analysis. Five eggs
were analyzed immediately and the other five were stored at
30°C and analyzed one week later.
Analysis of egg quality : Yolk color was measured with
Roche Yolk Color Fan (RYCF) (Dotterfarbächer Eventail
colorimétrique Abanico colorimétrico, USA). Its color
values denote the color intensity from 1 to 14 according to
the degree of yolk color. Yolk height was measured with
vernier callipers in the centre of yolk. Haugh units (HU)
were calculated according to formula (Eisen et al., 1962)
based on the height of albumen as determined using vernier
callipers.
Lipid oxidation analysis : Thio-barbituric acid reactive
substances (TBARS) were measured as milligrams of
malonaldehyde (MDA/kg). Eggs collected at the 14th day
were analyzed for lipid oxidation. The measurements on
eggs were carried out immediately or stored at 30°C in the
oven for one week after the day of collection. Exactly 10 g
of yolk was used to determine the thio-barbituric acid
reactive substances (TBARS) as milligrams of
malonaldehyde (MDA/kg) according to Tarladgis et al.
(1960), Rhee (1978), and Marshall et al. (1994).
Experiment 2
Experimental animals and diets : Barrows (n = 36;
L×Y×D), weighing 107±3.1 kg, were randomly assigned
according to a single factorial arrangement. Each treatment
had three replicates comprising 4 pigs each. Pigs were
housed in a total confinement, slatted-floor facility in 3
adjacent pens (3.0×3.0 m). Treatments included a control
diet (0 ppm) and two astaxanthin supplemental levels, 1.5
ppm and 3.0 ppm in the diets. Pigs were kept on
experimental diets for two weeks until about 120±5 kg of
Table 1. Formula and chemical composition of basal diets for the
experiments
Ingredients Experiment 1
(%) Experiment 2
(%)
Corn 64.10 68.12
Soybean meal (44%) 17.20 21.08
Limestone 8.00 1.57
Fish meal 4.00 0.00
Wheat bran 3.80 0.00
Tricalcium phosphate (TCP) 1.00 0.30
Animal fat 1.00 3.00
Choline chloride (25%) 0.15 0.01
DL-methionine (50%) 0.20 0.00
Salt 0.25 0.30
Premix 1, 2 0.30 0.20
Molasses 0.00 3.00
Rice bran 0.00 2.42
Total 100.00 100.00
Chemical composition3 (%)
ME (kcal/kg) 2,750 3,300
CP 15.50 15.00
Ca 3.50 0.75
Avail. P 0.35 0.38
Lysine 0.79 0.82
Methionine+cystine 0.64 0.71
1 Supplied per kilogram of diet for experiment 1: Fe, 70 mg; Cu, 7 mg;
Zn, 70 mg; Mn, 70 mg; Se, 0.36 mg; I, 1.4 mg. vitamin A (retinyl
acetate), 8,000 IU; cholecalciferol, 2,750 IU; vitamin E (α-tocopheryl
acetate), 15 IU; vitamin K3, 3.0 mg; thiamin, 1.5 mg; riboflavin, 4.0 mg;
pantothenic acid, 10 mg; niacin, 25 mg; pyridoxine, 3.0 mg; biotin, 50
mg; folic acid, 0.4 mg; vitamin B12, 10 µg.
2 Supplied per kilogram of diet for experiment 2: Fe, 100 mg; Cu, 15 mg;
Zn, 100 mg; Mn, 25 mg; Se, 0.1 mg; I, 1 mg. vitamin A (retinyl acetate),
10,000 IU; cholecalciferol, 1,000 IU; vitamin E (α-tocopheryl acetate),
30 IU; vitamin K3, 2.0 mg; thiamin, 2.0 mg; riboflavin, 3.0 mg;
pantothenic acid, 15 mg; niacin, 25 mg; pyridoxine, 6.0 mg; biotin, 0.1
mg; folic acid, 1.0 mg; vitamin B12, 0.02 mg.
3 Calculated values.
Yang et al., (2006) Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 19(7):1019-1025 1021
BW, after that they were humanely slaughtered.
Compositions of the experimental diet were shown in Table
1. Feed and water were provided ad libitum.
Parameters measured : Average daily gain, average
daily feed intake, and feed conversion ratio were calculated
at the end of the feeding trial. At the last day of the
experiment, pigs were weighed just before immobilization,
then exsanguinated, scalded, dehaired, decapitated,
eviscerated, halved and inspected. All loins were cut into
2.54-cm-thick chops. Chops were deboned and trimmed to
0.64 cm of subcutaneous fat, and then chops were paired
and placed in vacuum bags. The vacuum packages were
assigned to 5 or 10 day of cold (4°C) storage. From each
loin three 1.27-cm chops were also cut for the
measurements of lipid oxidation (TBARS) and cholesterol.
These chops were stored in vacuum bags under the same
conditions as the 2.54-cm chops.
Lipid oxidation analysis : Samples of each chop were
measured for lipid oxidation at 0, 5 and 10 day of storage.
Lipid oxidation of loin chops was measured by TBARS
analysis as described previously by Sinnhubber and Yu
(1977).
Carcass traits : Procedures for carcass traits evaluation
were according to the methods described by Matthews et al.
(1998). Dressing percentage was determined by the
following equation: (hot carcass weight/final live weight)
×100. Live weight was monitored the day before slaughter.
Backfat thickness was determined at the 10th rib, at three
quarters of the lateral length of the loin muscle
perpendicular. At 5 or 10 day postmortem, the left
longissmuss thoracis at lumborum (rib side) from each
carcass was removed. Chops were removed from the
longissmuss thoracis at lumborum starting at the 11th rib
location and continued towards the caudal end for drip loss
(one 2.5-cm thick chop) determination. At 24 h postmortem,
whole loins were subjectively evaluated for color, marbling
between the 10th and 11th rib face according to a 5-point
descriptive scale by the National Pork Producers Council
Quality Standards (NPPC, 1999). In addition, L*, a* and b*
color values were measured using color difference meter
(Yasuda Seiko Co., CR-310, Minolta, Japan) at 0, 5 or 10
day postmortem.
Cholesterol in meat : Muscle (semimembranosus)
samples were frozen in liquid N and stored at -30°C until
they were analyzed for total cholesterol concentration, high-
density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein
(LDL). Total muscle cholesterol content was determined
with the enzymatic method of Allain et al. (1974) as
modified by Salé et al. (1984). HDL was determined by
using HDL cholesterol assay kit (Sigma-Aldrich, Seoul,
Korea).
Statistical analyses
All data were analyzed by ANOVA using the GLM
procedure of SAS (SAS Institute, 1996) as a completely
randomized design. The linear and quadratic trends were
tested for the supplemented astaxanthin levels. All
statements of significance were based on probability p<0.05,
unless otherwise noted.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Production performance
The effects of dietary astaxanthin on layers and pig’s
performance are shown in Table 2 and 3, respectively
Dietary astaxanthin supplementation had no significant
effects on layers performance (p>0.05). The present
findings were in accordance with that reported by Lorenz
(1999) and Ross et al. (1994), where Haematococcus alage
meal or Spirulina supplementation of diets had no adverse
Table 2. Effect of astaxanthin on production performance of layers
Astaxanthin (ppm) p value
0 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3 SEM1 Linear Quadratic
Feed intake
(g/hen/d)
105.37 104.78 103.88 106.34 103.90 0.67 0.8392 0.3509
Laying rate (%) 82.32 82.10 78.75 82.77 83.20 0.76 0.6486 0.2231
Feed efficiency
(kg:kg)
2.27 2.19 2.10 2.22 2.23 0.03 0.4799 0.2231
1 Standard error of means.
Table 3. Effect of astaxanthin on growth performance of finishing pigs
Astaxanthin (ppm) p value
0 1.5 3.0
SEM1 Linear Quadratic
ADG (g) 715 724 690 10.54 0.3751 0.3782
ADFI (g) 2,452 2,425 2,457 67.69 0.9800 0.8643
FCR 3.43 3.37 3.59 0.07 0.4730 0.3623
1 Standard error of means.
Yang et al., (2006) Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 19(7):1019-1025
1022
effect on egg production, feed efficiency and laying rate.
However, Inborr (1998) found that the broilers on the
Haematococcus alage meal diet gained weight faster, had a
significantly (p<0.05) higher breast muscle weights and
utilized feed more efficiently compared with the control
group. There was no effect on the pig’s performance by
astaxanthin addition in the diets in the present study.
Egg quality
For experiment 1, the effects of dietary astaxanthin on
egg weight, yolk color, yolk height and HU, are shown in
Table 4. There was no significant effect on egg weight with
the increased dietary astaxanthin and with increasing
storage time (p>0.05). Yolk height and HU also had not
been significantly affected by the astaxanthin (p>0.05).
There was a little increment in yolk height and HU with the
increasing dietary astaxanthin, although it could not achieve
linear relationship, which was consistent with the results of
Inborr (1998), Ross and Dominy (1990).
The degree of yolk color preferred by consumers varies
widely throughout the world; however, deeper hues bring
significant premiums in most markets. The bakery and food
processing industry prefer darker colored yolks rather than
adding artificial coloring agents. The yolk color is a very
Table 4. Effect of astaxanthin on egg quality and TBARS (mg/kg) in yolk of layers measured at different storage time
Astaxanthin, ppm p value Time 0 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3
SEM1 Linear Quadratic
0 wk2 56.75 61.13 58.86 57.83 63.16 1.09 0.9904 0.2745 Egg weight (g) 1 wk 56.97 59.07 57.91 58.34 62.87 1.12 0.8484 0.7492
0 wk 7.75 11.00 11.50 12.25 13.00 0.46 0.0001 0.0308 Yolk color 1 wk 7.00 8.50 10.50 12.50 13.00 0.54 0.0001 0.4755
0 wk 6.09 7.02 6.48 6.53 6.95 0.27 0.8666 0.5127 Yolk height (mm) 1 wk 4.69 4.61 4.09 4.86 4.80 0.20 0.9026 0.3920
0 wk 78.05 75.58 79.68 80.35 81.98 2.24 0.6233 0.7780 Haugh unit 1 wk 58.65 63.50 62.55 67.33 71.13 2.22 0.3559 0.9946
0 wk 0.68 0.67 0.62 0.61 0.51 0.05 0.7129 0.9874 TBARS (mg/kg) 1 wk 6.53 4.85 4.16 3.65 3.68 0.94 0.4370 0.8193
1 Standard error of means. 2 Storage week after collecting eggs.
Table 5. Effect of astaxanthin on carcass traits of finishing pigs
Astaxanthin (ppm) p value
0 1.5 3.0
SEM1 Linear Quadratic
Dressing percentage 70.55 72.71 75.01 0.73 0.0040 0.9373
Backfat thickness (mm) 29.00 23.33 22.00 1.15 0.0011 0.0795
Loin muscle area (cm2) 54.00 62.92 68.58 2.84 0.0340 0.7370
Meat color score 1.83 1.92 2.33 0.20 0.3680 0.7208
Marbling score 2.17 1.83 2.25 0.22 0.8936 0.4956
TBARS (mg/kg)
0
2 1.12 1.08 1.06 0.04 0.6096 0.9023
5 2.81 2.56 2.42 0.15 0.3511 0.8622
10 3.28 3.10 3.30 0.09 0.9339 0.3640
Drip loss (%)
5 8.14 8.27 7.20 0.34 0.2873 0.4816
10 9.93 9.85 8.14 0.55 0.1975 0.5304
Meat color
L 0 55.74 54.41 55.92 0.66 0.9139 0.3243
5 57.51 55.83 58.60 0.58 0.4333 0.0723
10 55.12 53.98 56.58 0.55 0.2692 0.1065
a 0 17.43 18.16 17.74 0.14 0.3648 0.0528
5 17.65 18.34 17.45 0.58 0.5235 0.0064
10 15.30 14.73 14.36 0.29 0.1996 0.8703
b 0 6.21 6.31 6.13 0.19 0.8621 0.7277
5 11.31 10.88 11.09 0.09 0.3224 0.0977
10 7.03 6.64 7.45 0.20 0.3779 0.1546
1 Standard error of means. 2 Day after postmortem.
Yang et al., (2006) Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 19(7):1019-1025 1023
important index of egg quality. In the present study, yolk
color was significantly increased linearly with the
increasing dietary astaxanthin and significantly decreased
with the increasing storage time (p<0.05). Elwinger et al.
(1997) found that the egg yolk color pigments reached
steady states of 5.8, 7.9, 9.4, 10.1 and 11.8 on the color
scale, respectively, for the experimental diets supplemented
with 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 3.0 ppm astaxanthin. Lee et al.
(1999) found that astaxanthin produced a linear increment
in egg yolk coloration compared with eggs from layers fed
astaxanthin-free diet. A report by Mammershoj (1995) was
also in agreement with our findings, where they fed
astaxanthin to layers resulting in a significant increment of
egg color.
Carcass traits
In experiment 2, dressing percentage (p<0.05) and loin
muscle area (p<0.05) increased linearly and backfat
thickness decreased linearly (p<0.05) with the increasing
dietary astaxanthin. Drip loss measured at 5th or 10th day
after postmortem showed no difference among treatments.
Measurements of color, marbling, and the L*, a*, and b*
values at 0, 5th or 10th day after postmortem are shown in
Table 5. Generally, dietary astaxanthin had no significant
effects on meat color (p>0.05). The 3.0 ppm astaxanthin
treatment had a higher color value of all parameters, though
it could not achieve statistical significance.
Lipid oxidation
TBARS is an index of lipid peroxidation and oxidative
stress. The TBARS value, expressed as malondialdehyde
(MDA), is a good index reflecting the degree of oxidation
(Lohakare et al., 2004). It is considered that the higher the
TBARS value, the more oxidation of lipids has taken place.
In Experiment 1, the TBARS values linearly decreased
with the increasing amount of dietary astaxanthin in each
storage time (Table 4). The TBARS values in yolk were
higher in the control group compared with experimental
treatments. The values measured after one week of storage
at 30°C were higher in all groups, and the TBARS value in
the control group without astaxanthin was also higher than
astaxanthin added groups, which was an indication that
oxidation had been progressed and astaxanthin had played
an anti-oxidative role in the lipid oxidative process in the
yolk.
In Experiment 2, the TBARS value in meat was
measured at 0, 5th or 10th day after postmortem (Table 5).
Although it could not achieve linear relationship, the
TBARS values in meat decreased with the increasing
astaxanthin addition in diets. Astaxanthin might have
improved the lipid stability through increasing superoxide
dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase enzyme
activity (Kobayashi, et al. 1997; Kurashige, et al., 1990;
Palozza and Krinsky, 1992). Antioxidant function of
astaxanthin persists for a long time delaying the onset of
oxidation reactions in egg yolk and meat. The eggs from 0
ppm astaxanthin treatment stored for one week had higher
TBARS than those with added astaxanthin, especially 1.3
ppm astaxanthin treatment. Thus, it could be stated that the
supplementation of dietary astaxanthin has a beneficial role
in egg storage by preventing it from getting deteriorated.
The present findings were in accordance with that reported
by Terao (1989), where supplementation of dietary
astaxanthin produced higher levels of phosphatidylcholine
Table 6. Egg quality of layers without astaxanthin in diet measured at different time during the last week1
Astaxanthin (ppm) p value
Time (day) 0 0.7 0.9 1.1 1.3
SEM2 Linear Quadratic
15th 60.45 63.35 62.42 63.11 62.96 0.64 0.3569 0.4606
17th 57.88 57.77 61.09 61.81 58.73 0.97 0.1235 0.8539
19th 57.93 58.26 59.55 58.75 57.72 0.73 0.5987 0.7474
Egg weight
(g)
21st 56.97 61.21 59.88 59.70 61.56 0.75 0.4705 0.2107
15th 8.50 11.17 11.50 11.33 12.83 0.32 0.0011 0.0083
17th 7.33 10.17 10.83 11.17 12.67 0.39 0.0001 0.0249
19th 6.83 8.60 8.67 9.00 9.17 0.27 0.0154 0.1981
Yolk color
21st 5.50 8.33 8.17 8.00 9.83 0.29 0.0001 0.0001
15th 11.61 11.42 11.39 11.65 10.92 0.21 0.9676 0.6592
17th 10.38 10.31 9.30 9.32 9.82 0.21 0.0204 0.9162
19th 9.17 10.40 9.65 9.95 8.97 0.19 0.5253 0.2541
Yolk height
(mm)
21st 7.77 10.22 9.61 9.45 8.59 0.30 0.1958 0.0580
15th 108.50 106.38 106.02 107.00 103.53 1.19 0.7035 0.5801
17th 101.08 101.08 96.08 96.47 98.77 0.84 0.0186 0.9137
19th 97.90 101.88 97.42 98.65 94.85 0.77 0.5540 0.3853
Haugh unit
21st 88.50 99.43 96.18 99.05 95.70 1.50 0.0783 0.3222
1 Eggs were collected during the last week at 2-day interval starting at 3rd week. For each parameter 4 times measurement was carried out. For each
collection, 5 eggs were collected from each replicate.
2 Standard error of means.
Yang et al., (2006) Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 19(7):1019-1025
1024
hydroperoxide (PC-OOH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) in
plasma in broilers.
Egg quality without astaxanthin in diet
The results of egg quality without astaxanthin in diet are
shown in Table 6. When the layers were returned to the
astaxanthin-free feeds, all parameters were decreased with
the increase in time, especially the yolk color and HU
(p<0.05). These findings of our experiment are in
accordance with Anderson et al. (1991), where Spirulina
was added at concentrations of 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4% of
diet for 21 days, then returned to the carotenoid-free feeds
(without Spirulina), the egg yolks gradually returned back
to the control levels of 2 on the color scale. Avila and Cuca
(1974) found that there was linear relationship between
dietary Spirulina concentrations and egg yolk pigmentation.
Diets containing Spirulina produced significantly darker
yolks than diets containing the same carotenoid
concentration from marigold meal in White Leghorn hens.
Therefore, it once again suggested that the supplementation
of dietary astaxanthin has a beneficial role in enhancing
yolk color and egg quality.
Cholesterol concentration in meat
The effects of dietary astaxanthin on cholesterol
concentration in meat are presented in Table 7. The
concentrations of cholesterol, HDL, and LDL in meat from
astaxanthin fed animals were lower compared with control,
although it could not reach significance. Nakano et al.
(1995, 1999) reported that in rainbow trout fed oxidized oil,
astaxanthin supplementation reduced high levels of
triglyceride and total cholesterol in the blood, and increased
defenses against oxidative stress. Astaxanthin was provided
daily over 2 weeks to humans using an astaxanthin-
containing drink at 3.6, 7.2, and 14.4 mg/day, and no ill
effects were reported at any dose, and in fact an antioxidant
effect on serum LDL was observed, with LDL oxidation
progressively decreased with increasing doses of
astaxanthin (Miki et al., 1998). All the findings were in
accordance with our present study.
Overall we concluded that supplementation of dietary
astaxanthin could be beneficial to layers to improve egg
yolk color and the keeping quality of eggs. Also dietary
astaxanthin improved the carcass traits and meat quality of
finishing pigs in the present study.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We greatly acknowledge the partial financial support by
Institute of Animal Resources of Kangwon National
University.
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0 1.5 3.0
SEM1 Linear Quadratic
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HDL 33.36 31.03 31.61 0.69 0.3351 0.3533
LDL 17.20 16.36 17.07 0.44 0.9155 0.4749
1 Standard error of means.
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