CANTHAXANTHIN FROM CAROPHYLL® RED CAN IMPROVE THE VITELLINE MEMBRANE STRENGTH IN STORED EGGS FROM BREEDER HENSCatherine Hamelin(1) and Fernando Cisneros(2)

ESPN Prague 24-27 August 2015

Conclusions

Material & MethodsAnimals: 3,800 breeders (males and females) in a laying house equipped with a floor system (1/3 slat, 2/3 litter) and separated into two adjacent blocks. Eggs were collected at 40/45 weeks and stored 7 days. Feeding experiment started at 18 weeks of age.Control: Corn, wheat, soya & sunflower meals, Vit D3 3,000 IU/kg, Vit E 60 IU/kg, Vit A 14,000 IU/kg, Se 0.3 ppm (including 0.05 organic Se).MaxiChick®: 1,600 IU/kg vitamin D3, 37.5 μg/kg 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (HyD®) & 6 ppm canthaxanthin (Carophyll® Red 10%). Vitamin D3 or 25-hydroxy-vitamin D3 were not expected to have any influence on the VMS.Hatchability/fertile: Average rates were 72.2 % in the control and 77.6 % in the MaxiChick® group (21 to 51 weeks). Parameters: The VMS was evaluated using a compression machine MTS Synergy 200. The VMS was measured in the equatorial region.Statistical analysis: R 3.0.2 software. Data were analysed for normality test (Shapiro) and were significantly different when p<0.05.

Results

Thanks to the unique capabilities of high deposition rate and singlet oxygen quenching capabilities, canthaxanthin from Carophyll® can improve the vitelline membrane strength in complement to Vitamin E. We hypothesized that it contributes to explain its influence on early embryo viability and hatchability in hen breeder performance.

Hatchability is certainly a key performance and profitability parameter for chick producers. Storing hatching eggs is a current necessary practice and this can damage hatchability results. Canthaxanthin, as an antioxidant, is particularly effective for supporting hatchability. The vitelline membrane strength (VMS) is very important to the early embryo survival.

The vitelline membrane protects the embryo (pH 6) from the high pH of the albumen (pH 9.4) and therefore has to be strong enough. The embryo progressively gets surrounded by the yolk sac and is totally protected in the yolk sac between day 3 and 4 of incubation.

(1) DSM, 19 avenue Dubonnet, 92400 Courbevoie, France (2) DSM, Wurmisweg 576, Kaiseraugst 4303, Switzerland

Stiffness and breaking strength were significantly increased with the supplementation of canthaxanthin (table 1). All-trans-canthaxanthin from Carophyll® is well absorbed and deposited in the yolk (about 40% of the intake). Canthaxanthin has a high singlet oxygen quenching capacity because of its long symmetric chain of double bonds carbon (Figure 1). Canthaxanthin is also used to regenerate oxidized Vitamin E. Vitamin E and canthaxanthin are the only antioxidants present in high enough quantities to be of any protective use in the yolk during the first 3-4 days of incubation.

Figure 1. Canthaxanthin

Control MaxiChick® Stats Number of eggs 209 172

VM Stiffness (mN/mm)7.0

+/- 1.07.2

+/- 0.9P<0.05

VM breaking strength (mN/mm)

42.4+/- 8.2

44.4+/- 7.7

P<0.05

Table 1. Vitelline membrane strength (average ± SE)