Table 10.

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids contents in yolk (mg/yolk) from laying hen fed diets containing increasing levels of soluble flaxseed oil.

Fatty acids1	Soluble flaxseed oil concentration in diets, %					SEM	P-value
	0	0.2	0.4	0.6	0.8		ANOVA	Linear	Quadratic
After 2 wk of feeding
α-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3)	24.74c	35.66b	43.72a	20.00c	19.50c	1.82	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001
Eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3)	1.24	1.46	1.27	1.34	1.06	0.11	0.212	0.195	0.109
Docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3)	48.83e	70.24d	93.62c	131.54a	112.13b	5.40	<0.001	<0.001	0.003
Total n-3	74.81c	107.36b	140.85a	152.88a	132.69a	6.46	<0.001	<0.001	<0.001
After 4 wk of feeding
α-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3)	22.93	20.99	19.59	23.12	21.37	1.30	0.315	0.814	0.287
Eicosapentaenoic acid (C20:5n-3)	1.49	1.22	1.08	1.19	1.42	0.12	0.142	0.652	0.012
Docosahexaenoic acid (C22:6n-3)	39.54c	58.91b	72.05b	97.21a	109.05a	5.52	<0.001	<0.001	0.884
Total n-3	63.96c	81.12bc	92.73b	121.51a	131.84a	6.02	<0.001	<0.001	0.877

^a,b,cMean value without a common superscript within the same row differ (P < 0.05).

Abbreviation: ANOVA, Analysis of variance.

¹Total n-3 was calculated as C18:3n-3 + C20:5n-3 + C22:6n-3.