Whole hempseed as a feeding enrichment for laying hens: effects on egg quality, nutritional profile and sensory attributes.

To evaluate the effect on egg quality of the dietary supplementation with whole hempseeds, as an environmental and nutritional enrichment, a 4-week trial was implemented in an aviary housing a total of 1800 Hy-Line Brown hens in 8 pens (225 hens/pen). From 37 to 40 weeks of age, four pens received only a commercial diet (Control group) and the remaining four pens received whole hemp seed (HS group) (10 % of the average daily feed intake of the whole group) once per day in two additional circular feeders (two pens) or directly on the ground (two pens). Then, for the specific purposes of the presents study, after 14 and 28 days of trial (60 eggs/pen per sampling), a total of 480 eggs were collected from two pens of the control group and the two pens of the HS group fed hemp seeds in the circular feeders. On average of the two samplings, the hempseed enrichment did not influence most egg quality traits, i.e. proximate and mineral composition of egg yolk (P > 0.05), while it reduced the L* index and the pH of yolk (P < 0.001) and increased the pH of albumen (P < 0.05). Additionally, in yolk, hempseed enrichment decreased the proportion of total saturated (P < 0.001) and monounsaturated fatty acids (P ≤ 0.05), whereas it increased the proportion of n-3 (P < 0.001) and n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (P ≤ 0.05) compared to hens of the control group. Sensory evaluation of boiled eggs showed that 46 % of the participants noted the difference between eggs from hens receiving or not the hempseed supplementation (P ≤ 0.05), but one sample was not preferred over another (P > 0.05). In conclusion, the enrichment after four weeks with whole hempseeds at 10 % of the daily feed intake in laying hens improved the fatty acid composition of yolk lipids without affecting the majority of egg quality traits and consumers' preferences.