Depletion and Synthesis of Fatty Acids in Chickens Fed a Diet Low in Unsaturated Fatty Acids

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Abstract
The proportion of linoleic and arachidonic acid in liver and heart tissue of chickens fed fat-free diets decreased to near minimal values within the first 2 weeks after hatching. Four days following the addition of linoleic acid to a fat-free diet a significant increase of both linoleic and arachidonic acid in the liver could be detected. Chickens fed a diet free of unsaturated fatty acids from 1 to 28 days of age synthesized over 24 g of fatty acids. This consisted mainly of palmitate, palmitoleate and oleate. During the same period the linoleate and arachidonate content of the entire body decreased, resulting in a reduction in the percentage of these acids to less than 1/16 of that originally present in the newly-hatched chick.

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