The effects of rice bran oil (RBO) as an alternative dietary energy source on nutritional properties and fatty acid deposition in broiler chickens are scarce in the literature. One-day-old chickens (broiler Ross 308) were assigned in a completely randomized design with three treatment diets and nine replicates of four chickens per replicate. A basal control diet contained 4~5% palm oil (T1) in the starter and finisher phases, respectively. Treatments 2 to 3 were fed diets formulated with 50% (T2) and 100% (T3) of RBO as a fat source instead of palm oil (PO). Replacing dietary PO with RBO improved the feed conversion ratio (FCR) by 6% (p = 0.017) over the total period of the experiment (1−38 d of age). The feeding of RBO (T3) showed the highest (p < 0.001) cooking loss values in the breast meat. However, compared with other groups, the blend of PO and RBO group (T2) displayed a lower cooking loss value in the thigh meat. In breast meat, the protein content was lowered (p = 0.007), while the fat content was higher (p < 0.001) in male broiler chickens fed dietary RBO (T2 and T3). Total inclusion of dietary RBO (T3) decreased (p = 0.034) the proportion of saturated fatty acids (ΣSFAs) but increased (p = 0.02) linoleic acid. In addition, α-linolenic acid (ALA) increased (p < 0.001) in male broiler chickens fed dietary RBO (T2 and T3), and the highest deposit level occurred by the total inclusion of RBO (T3). Total omega 3 fatty acids (∑n-3) increased (p = 0.013), while the ratio of n-6 to n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) decreased (p = 0.046) in male broiler chickens fed dietary RBO (T3) as compared with the control diet (PO; T1). In conclusion, compared with dietary PO (control diet, T1), the total inclusion of dietary RBO at 50 kg/metric ton feed (T3) increased ∑n-3, ALA, and reduced n-6:n-3 PUFA ratio in the breast meat, but cooking loss values were larger in breast and thigh meats. The blend of dietary PO and RBO (T2) was better for both production performance targets (feed intake and FCR), cooking loss values, and deposition of ALA in the breast meat. The inclusion of dietary RBO into broiler diets needs further study, but the present experiment aids in expanding research knowledge to make that possible.
Keywords: chickens; meat quality; n-3 PUFA; palm oil; rice bran oil.