This study examined the effects of different levels of evening primrose oil(EPO) on the accumulation of γ-fatty acids in broiler meat. Six hundred one-day-old male chicks (Ross strain) from commercial broilers were divided randomly into 6 groups × 4 repeat pens. The broilers were fed experimental diets containing 4.0% tallow(control), 0.5% EPO, 0.7% mixed oil(EPO 70 : soy bean oil 30), 1.5% EPO, 3.0% EPO or 4.0% EPO for 35 days. There was a significant difference in body weight gain between the control and treatment groups except for the 0.5% EPO group (p<0.05). There was a significant difference in the percentage of thigh and breast weight against the carcass weight between control and treatment groups except for the 0.5% EPO group in the thigh and 0.5% EPO and 4.0% EPO groups in the breast weight (p<0.05). The saturated fatty acid levels of the skin and breast muscle lipid of the broilers fed diets containing EPO were significantly lower than that of the control group (p<0.05), while the level of unsaturated fatty acid was significantly higher than that of the control group (p<0.05). The γ-fatty acid(GLA, gamma-linolenic acid, 18:3n-6) level was particularly higher in the chicken meat lipids from the broilers fed EPO than in the control group (p< 0.05). This shows that feeding EPO to chicks can produce novel functional broiler meat that is enriched in gamma-linolenic acid.

한국에서 자생군락이 비교적 큰 3지역에서 채집한 달맞이꽃 종자의 필수 지방산을 Capillary column gas chromatography로 분석하였다. 각 지방산의 조성 함량은 palmitic acid가 6.19-6. 73%, stearic acid가 1.84-l.99%, oleic acid 가 6.73-9.10%, linoleic acid가 74.41-75.53%이었다. 특히 prostaglandin의 전구체인 GLA는 청주가 9.14%, 제천이 9.32%이고, 안동이 8.31%이었다. 따라서 한국의 자생 달맞이꽃은 GLA자원으로 유용한 것으로 생각된다.