Modulating Lipid Metabolism to Enhance Hatchability of Chicken Eggs

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Modulating Lipid Metabolism to Enhance
Hatchability of Chicken Eggs

• Travis Schaal
• 2007 HHMI Presentation
• Mentor Dr. Gita Cherian
• Department of Animal Sciences

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Background

• Poultry products are an important protein source
  for the worlds population
• Out of the 11 billion eggs set in US commercial
  hatcheries in 2005, 2 billion did not hatch
  (Schaal and Cherian Poult Sci 86(3) 598-600
  2007)
• Hatchability problems resulted in a 500 million
  dollar loss to the poultry industry in 2005

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Background

• About avian incubation
• 21-day incubation period for a chicken egg
• 5.5-6g of yolk fat is the only source of fatty
  acids available to the growing embryo
• Intense increase in the uptake of poly
  unsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) by the developing
  embryo beginning at day 14 of incubation (Cherian
  et al., 1997)

Image courtesy www.natureform.com/kb/index.php?ar
ticle1004
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Background

• Uptake of fatty acids causes increased oxidative
  stress for the embryo
• Antioxidant protection may be helpful for the
  developing embryo through the hatching process

Image courtesy http//www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h
/virtualfarm/poultry/poultry_incubation.html
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Background

• What is in-ovo technology?
• Commonly used for vaccination programs
• Insertion of needle into the egg to administer
  vaccine to embryo, air sac or amnion
• Automated systems have already been integrated
  into hatcheries

Images courtesy of www.embrex.com
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Background
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Background

• Nutrient supplements for in-ovo research
• Substances that modulate metabolism
• Carbohydrates
• Enzymes to stimulate absorption
• Other Nutrients
• Amino Acids ?
• Carnitine ?
• Fatty Acids ?
• Antioxidants ?

Images courtesy of www.embrex.com
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Hypothesis

• It is hypothesized that the embryos receiving an
  exogenous supply of vitamin E will have increased
  vitamin E deposition in tissues and enhanced
  hatchability with decreased oxidative stress

http//animalscience.ucdavis.edu/AvianResources/Ph
oto20Gallery.htm
Image courtesy http//www.elcivics.com/chicken_ha
tched_holiday.jpg
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Objective

• To determine the effect of exogenous supply of
  vitamin E on chick plasma and tissue vitamin E
  and PUFA concentrations as well as hatchability

Image courtesy http//animalscience.ucdavis.edu/Av
ianResources/Photo20Gallery.htm
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Methods

• Commercial broiler eggs acquired from local
  hatchery
• Total of 100 eggs placed in treatments of 25
  eggs
• Two treatments injected in-ovo with vitamin E at
  day 14 of incubation (10 IU and 20 IU)
• Two treatments kept as controls (positive veg
  oil and negative no injection)

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Methods

• Incubation conditions standard for commercial
  operations
• Hatched chicks counted and non-hatched eggs
  broken open to determine embryo status
• Sacrifice hatched chicks (n6) for tissue and
  blood samples from each treatment

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Methods

• Samples collected
• Blood (plasma)
• Marker
• Brain
• Tissue with high polyunsaturates
• Heart
• Fatty Acid oxidation
• Liver
• Lipogenesis
• Yolk Sac
• Reservior
• Data analyzed by SAS one way analysis of variance
  and means by Duncan multiple comparison with
  level of significance p lt0.05

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Results
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Results
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Results
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Results
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Results
a, b denotes statistical difference
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Results

• Results Pending
• Tissue Vitamin E concentrations
• Tissue and plasma fatty acid status

Image courtesy http//www.fisherfeeds.com/graphic
s/broiler.jpg
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So What?

• Exogenous supply of vitamin E enhanced plasma
  vitamin E concentrations
• Plasma is only a marker, tissue vitamin E will
  provide more information
• Antioxidants may provide added protection in
  embryogenesis and throughout hatching
• Future work to include increased number of eggs
  and grow-out of chicks

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Acknowledgements

• Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• Dr. Gita Cherian
• Dr. Kevin Ahern
• D.G., Doug, Mare, and Jaime