Dietary DHA-rich algae supplementation enhances the fatty acid composition in goat kids meat

Abstract

The present study evaluated the effects of dietary docosahexaenoic acid-rich supplement (DHA; C22:6 n-3) supplementation on growth, carcass and meat quality and the fatty acid profile of different fat depots in pre-weaning goat kids. Thirty Majorera dairy goat kids were randomly assigned to one of three milk replacer diets: a control diet (no DHA-rich supplement), a low-DHA diet (9 g DHA/L of milk replacer, MR-LD-DHA), or a high-DHA diet (18 g DHA/L, MR-HD-DHA). Growth performance, carcass and meat quality traits and the fatty acid composition of intramuscular and external fat depots (perirenal, pelvic, subcutaneous and intermuscular) were measured. The dietary DHA-rich supplement significantly altered the fatty acid composition of fat depots (p < 0.05), notably increasing long-chain n-3 fatty acids and lowering the n-6/n-3 ratio. However, there were no significant differences neither in growth performance or carcass and meat quality variables (p > 0.05). In conclusion, supplementing pre-ruminant goat kids with a rich microalgal oil source, a DHA-rich supplement, via milk replacer effectively improved the fatty acid profile of goat kid meat by lowering the n-6/n-3 ratio without adversely affecting growth or meat quality. These findings justify the use of DHA-rich supplement supplementation, despite its extra cost, as a strategy to produce healthier goat meat enriched in n-3 fatty acids. Implications: Modern human diets are often deficient in omega-3 fatty acids such as DHA. As meat is a major component of adult diets, it is an appropriate vehicle for providing essential fatty acids. This study demonstrates that supplementing goat kids' milk replacer with either 9 g or 18 g of DHA-rich supplement per litre is an effective strategy to enrich goat meat with n-3 fatty acids, leading to a markedly improved fatty acid profile (especially a lower n-6/n-3 ratio) in meat without compromising animal growth or meat quality.