CONCEPT OF DESIGNER POULTRY MEAT AND EGG PRODUCTION

Satish V Dakore1*, Kirti Jadhav1, Avinash Ranvir1

1Livestock Development Officer, Palghar Government of Maharashtra, 401404
“Development of good food, better health and living condition to everyone”

The Indian poultry industry is expanding rapidly in response to the growing demand for eggs and poultry meat, which are affordable sources of high-quality protein and essential nutrients. Increasing consumer awareness of the relationship between diet and health has shifted the focus from basic nutrition towards food safety, improved nutritional quality, and health-promoting properties. This has led to the development of poultry products with reduced levels of undesirable components such as fat and cholesterol and enhanced levels of beneficial nutrients.

Designer or functional foods are foods specifically developed to provide health benefits beyond their conventional nutritional value. Poultry products, particularly eggs and meat, offer considerable potential for developing such functional foods through nutritional modification and enrichment with beneficial bioactive compounds. Eggs can be nutritionally enhanced through dietary supplementation with specific nutrients, herbs, or pharmacological agents possessing functional and therapeutic properties. “Designer eggs” which are rich in additional nutrients and health promoting components, which has modified from the standard to nutritionally modified eggs. Furthermore, by altering hen metabolism to synthesize desired compounds that enter the egg and manipulate the hen’s diet to increase desired nutrients in the egg.

Points to Consider Before Enriching Eggs

• Nutrient transfer: Efficient transfer of the nutrient from feed to egg.
• Commercial availability: Effective and suitable feed sources should be available.
• Safety: Nutrient levels should not cause toxicity in hens (e.g., vitamins A and D).
• Nutritional value: Egg should provide a significant amount compared with the RDA.
• Health benefits: Prefer nutrients that promote health and diet.
• Nutrient interactions: Should not interfere with absorption of other nutrients.
• Cooking stability: Nutrient should remain stable during cooking.

Types of designer eggs

Low cholesterol eggs

A large egg contains about 200 mg cholesterol, while chicken meat contains about 60 mg/100 g.
fortification of poultry feed with chromium, copper, nicotinic acid, garlic, basil, plant sterols,
statins, and n-3 PUFA can reduce cholesterol levels in egg yolk and lipid profile.

Omega-3 enriched eggs

A group of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) also known as n-3 fatty acid, (Docosahexaenoic
acids (DHA) Eicosapentanoic Acids (EPA) α-Linolenic acids (LNA), which are essential dietary
PUFAs that cannot be synthesized sufficiently by birds, animals, and humans, and their sources
include fish oil, linseed/flaxseed oil, rapeseed/canola oil, safflower oil, soybean oil, and marine
algae.

Antioxidant enriched eggs

Egg is a rich source of natural antioxidants like vitamin-E, selenium, carotenoid pigments,
flavonoid compounds, lecithin and phosvitin. These compounds protect the fat-soluble vitamins
and other yolk lipids from oxidative rancidity. Thus, Designer eggs and meat are produced by
adding antioxidants such as vitamin E, selenium, and herbal compounds to the hens’ diet, which
increases their levels in eggs and meat. These antioxidants reduce lipid peroxidation, prevent
fishy/off-flavours, protect fat-soluble vitamins and pigments, and provide antioxidants in the
human diet. For enrichment, vitamin E (200–400 mg/kg) and organic selenium (0.1–0.3 ppm) are
commonly added to the feed.

Pigment enriched eggs

Carotenoids in egg yolk depend on the hen’s feed and provide desirable yellow-orange colour.
Natural sources include marigold/alfalfa (lutein), corn (zeaxanthin), red pepper (capsanthin), and
tomato powder (lycopene). They also act as antioxidants, with some having vitamin A activity and
lutein helping protect the retina.

Hyper-immune eggs

Chicken eggs are a rich source of IgY antibodies, have potential applications against various
bacterial and viral pathogens. Dietary enrichment of laying hens with omega-3 fatty acids,
antioxidants, and immunomodulatory herbs such as Tulasi, rosemary, turmeric, garlic, fenugreek,
spirulina, ashwagandha, and Arogyapacha may enhance IgY levels in eggs, with Tulasi showing
particularly strong potential.

In case of meat products, there are two types of Designer meat

1. Pre-slaughter- by dietary manipulation to produce Designer / functional meat i.e Omega 3
Fatty acid enriched meat, Antioxidant enriched meat, Lowering the cholesterol content,
Lean meat production, Pigment enrichment of skin and CLA enrichment.

2. Post-slaughter- Value added meat product, including Cured and smoked chicken- Brinecured
for 48 hr at 4°C followed by smoking for 4 h at 45°C, Chicken nuggets -Comminuted
product from chicken meat based emulsion more or less similar to that of chicken patties
like, Minced meat, fat , binder , condiments and additives are mixed in a homogenizer
twice at 15°C to prepare uniform emulsion which is molded and finally oven-cooked. Vinegar based Gizzard Pickle – Vinegar based chicken gizzard pickle is a low cost protein
rich

Conclusion
The designer egg and meat are the best vehicle to boost the human health status as well as create
health-conscious consumer market and great export potential. In contrast, genetic limitation to
produce designer products hence scope for dietary manipulation, which will compete with organic
egg in future. Furthermore, Scope for Research & Development in this designer field; it appears
that the best is yet to come