RESUMEN
This study investigates the impact of dietary nonindustrial Moroccan hemp seed (HS) on the fatty acid profile, cholesterol, and tocopherol levels, in the liver of 120 Lohmann brown laying hens aged 22 weeks during 12 weeks of treatment. The hens are randomly allocated into four treatment groups, each subdivided into six replicates with five birds in each replicate. The dietary treatments consist of 0% HS (control), 10% HS, 20% HS, and 30% HS. Results indicate a substantial increase (p < 0.01) in polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega 3 (n-3) and omega 6 (n-6) types, with the inclusion of HS in the diet. The n-6/n-3 ratio is significantly reduced (p < 0.01), and there is a significant reduction (p < 0.01) in saturated fatty acids only for the 30% HS treatment, indicating a more favorable fatty acid composition. Cholesterol levels remain largely unaffected by HS inclusion, except for the 10% HS group, which shows a significant decrease (p < 0.05). Moreover, hepatic tocopherol levels are significantly elevated (p < 0.01) in subjects receiving the HS diet, with the 30% HS group exhibiting the highest tocopherol content. In summary, incorporating HS into the diet up to 30% appears to offer promising benefits for hepatic lipid composition, particularly in terms of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids, the n-6/n-3 ratio, and tocopherol levels, while having minimal impact on cholesterol levels.
RESUMEN
The purpose of this study was to evaluate how cannabis-derived nonindustrial hemp seed (HS) inclusion in laying hen diets, as well as treatment duration, affected the fatty acid (FA) profile, cholesterol level, and tocopherol composition of egg yolks. Ninety-six (n = 96) Lohmann Brown classic laying hens were randomly assigned to one of the four groups: control (standard diet) and HS-containing diets (10% HS, 20% HS, and 30% HS). The study was conducted for a period of 4 months. The findings demonstrated that the FA profile and the tocopherol composition are strongly impacted by the addition of HS to the diet of laying hens (p < 0.05), but the cholesterol content remained unaffected. The increase in the dose of cannabis incorporated into the hen's diet (HS-30% group) led to a significant increase in the amounts of the polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 and n-6 content of egg yolk. This enrichment was accompanied by a considerable decrease in the n-6/n-3 ratio (p < 0.001) from 8.19 to 4.88, on day 84 of the experiment. The total tocopherol content significantly increased (p < 0.05) from 281.44 (control) to 327.02 µg/g yolk (HS-30%) on day 84. Finally, in the context of warfare, these seeds might be used as a feed additive for laying hens to produce higher nutritive value eggs with affordable prices.
RESUMEN
The production of nonindustrial cannabis is highly developed in the Moroccan Rif region; however, local farmers consider hemp seeds which are rich in omega 3 and tocopherols, only as by-products of cannabis cultivation with low market value. The local ecotype is considered to be a plant with a cannabinoid content of more than 0.4%. So, the objective of this research is to investigate how the incorporation of this local hemp seed affects productive performance and egg quality traits. The experiment is conducted to evaluate the effects of hemp seed (HS) incorporation on hen laying performance and physical egg quality at three levels: 10% (HS-10% group), 20% (HS-20% group), and 30% (HS-30% group). Ninety-six Lohmann Brown classic laying hens were randomly assigned to a control group and three feed treatments. The sampling was taken after the 28-week rearing period (peak egg laying). Throughout the experiment, low-rate HS inclusion (HS-10%) showed no significant differences in egg-laying performance (p > 0.05). However, the high incorporation rates of HS (20% and 30%) negatively affected the egg-laying performance (84-94% and 80-86%, respectively). The albumen quality was also improved by the HS inclusion, where the highest values of the Haugh unit were recorded, ranging between 68.69 and 73.91 for the HS-30% groups. The results also show that HS inclusion and duration influence significantly the yolk color (p < 0.001). The yellow intensity decreases with HS incorporation and aging, from a dark yellow (b ∗ = 38.63 for the control group) to a very pale yellow (b ∗ = 26.29 for HS 30% group). Based on these findings, we can conclude that the incorporation of nonindustrial Moroccan cannabis seeds (ecotype Beldiya) at low rate in the diet of laying hens does not alter the laying performance or the quality of the egg; therefore, they could be used in poultry feeding as an alternative constituent to partially replace high-cost imported ingredients, such as corn and soybeans.