Effects of linseed oil supplementation duration on fatty acid profile and fatty acid metabolism-related genes in the muscles of Chinese crested white ducks

Meat rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids is considered beneficial to health. Supplementing the diet with linseed oil promotes the deposition of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in poultry, a conclusion that has been confirmed multiple times in chicken meat. However, fewer studies have focused on the effects of dietary fatty acids on duck meat. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effects of the feeding time of a linseed oil diet on duck meat performance and gene expression, including meat quality performance, plasma biochemical indicators, fatty acid profile, and gene expression. For this study, we selected 168 Chinese crested ducks at 28 days old and divided them into three groups, with 56 birds in each group. The linseed oil content in the different treatment groups was as follows: the control group (0% flaxseed oil), the 14d group (2% linseed oil), and the 28d group (2% linseed oil). Ducks in the two experimental groups were fed a linseed oil diet for 28 and 14 days at 28 and 42 days of age, respectively. The results showed that linseed oil had no negative effect on duck performance (slaughter rate, breast muscle weight, and leg muscle weight) or meat quality performance (pH, meat color, drip loss, and shear force) (P > 0.05). The addition of linseed oil in the diet increased plasma total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (P < 0.05), while decreasing triglyceride content (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the supplementation of linseed oil for four weeks affected the composition of muscle fatty acids. Specifically, levels of α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid were increased (P < 0.05), while eicosatetraenoic acid content was negatively correlated with flaxseed oil intake (P < 0.05). qRT-PCR analysis further revealed that the expression of FATP1, FABP5, and ELOVL5 genes in the breast muscle, as well as FABP3 and FADS2 genes in the thigh muscle, increased after four weeks of linseed oil supplementation (P < 0.05). However, after two weeks of feeding, CPT1A gene expression inhibited fatty acid deposition, suggesting an increase in fatty acid oxidation (P < 0.05). Overall, the four-week feeding time may be a key factor in promoting the deposition of n-3 PUFAs in duck meat. However, the limitation of this study is that it remains unknown whether longer supplementation time will continue to affect the deposition of n-3 PUFAs. Further experiments are needed to explain how prolonged feeding of linseed oil will affect the meat quality traits and fatty acid profile of duck meat.