Application of Eco-Feed Produced by Aurantiochytrium sp. L3W Using Solid Food Waste for Producing Hirodai-dori Products Containing Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Supplementing poultry feed with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can enhance the immunity of poultry and produce poultry products enriched with omega-3 fatty acids (n-3FAs) that are beneficial for consumer health. Thraustochytrids, such as Aurantiochytrium, are known to produce PUFAs. This study aimed to investigate the effect of adding a biomass mixture produced from Hiroshimana old pickle (HOP) and rice vinegar residue (RVR) by Aurantiochytrium sp. strain L3W into the diet of Hirodai-dori chicken, a new meat-type chicken breed established by Hiroshima University, to produce poultry products containing n-3FAs, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). A biomass mixture containing DHA and EPA was produced by culturing the strain L3W, using the solid food wastes, HOP and RVR. Adding this biomass mixture to the poultry diet at 10% significantly increased the DHA content in the liver after the 7^th day of the feeding experiment, and the final DHA content increased by 70%. Adding the biomass mixture also maintained the DHA content in the thigh and breast meat, whereas DHA was not present in poultry products in the control experiment with a diet containing no biomass mixture. The ratio of n-6/n-3 fatty acids in the liver was also reduced by adding the biomass to the poultry diet, which is desirable as a healthy source of fatty acids. These findings have demonstrated that a biomass mixture containing Aurantiochytrium sp. strain L3W could be used as a functional eco-feed to increase and maintain the content of n-3FAs in chicken meat.