Assessment of dietary selenium and vitamin E on laying performance and quality parameters of fresh and stored eggs in Japanese quails

Abstract

The effect of dietary supplementation with VE and Se on the laying productive performance, immunity, and the quality parameters of fresh and stored eggs was assessed. For this study, five treatments, namely control (basal diet), control plus 30 mg of VE and 0.4 mg kg−1 sodium selenite (VE30SS), control plus 30 mg of VE and 0.4 mg kg−1 of Sel-Plex® (VE30SP), control plus 120 mg VE and 0.4 mg kg−1 Sodium selenite (VE120SS), and control plus 120 mg VE and 0.4 mg kg−1 Sel-Plex (VE120SP), were examined. There was no huge impact of VE and Se on feed consumption, FCR and egg yield rate. Quality parameters of fresh egg including egg surface area, eggshell thickness, yolk selenium concentration, albumen height, and Haugh unit were significantly increased following VE and Se supplementation (p < 0.05). For stored eggs, VE and Se significantly increased egg yolk color intensity (p < 0.05). Regardless of storage temperature, eggs from birds fed with VE and Se had less weight loss during 30 days of storage. Albumen height was significantly higher in VE and Se fed birds in eggs stored at 5 °C for 15 and 30 days. The combination of Sel-Plex with either levels of VE had significantly higher blood total antioxidant capacity. Dietary VE and Selenium, notably Sel-Plex, improved the antioxidant potential of blood and egg quality of laying quails.