PASSION FRUIT (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa) SEED OIL AND PEQUI (Caryocar brasiliense) OIL SUPPLEMENTATION IN EGGS QUALITY OF LAYING HENS SUBMITTED TO HEAT STRESS

• Grant number: 23/00645-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2023
• End date: February 29, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: José Roberto Sartori
• Grantee: Pedro Henrique Santille Testa
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Given that climate change affects poultry production, laying hens are subject to high temperatures, leading to thermal stress, with negative effects on egg quality, feed intake and economic losses. One of the nutritional alternatives to increase the tolerance of birds to heat is the use of phytogenic additives, such as vegetable oils that have bioactive compounds with antioxidant capacity. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effects of pequi pulp oil and passion fruit seed oil in the diet of laying hens under heat stress. For this, 144 laying hens, 26 weeks old, of the Lohmann White lineage, will be housed in a completely randomized design (DIC), in a 2x3 factorial arrangement, in two climatic chambers: thermoneutral and cyclical heat stress and three diets: T1- Basal ration (RB) without adding additives - negative control, T2- RB + 0.9% passion fruit seed oil, T3- RB + 0.6 pequi oil, with 6 replications with 4 birds per unit experimental. Egg quality will be analyzed by means of specific gravity, shell resistance to breaking, height and diameters of the yolk and albumen, yolk index, Haugh unit, percentage of yolk, shell and albumen, yolk color, yolk and albumen pH, shell thickness and weight.