Ducks have diversity in their uses being farmed for their eggs, meat, and feathers while 3 billion ducks are slaughtered each year for meat consumption worldwide. Duck eggs have been used since ancient times and they are almost 50% bigger than a large-sized hen’s egg having golden, creamy yolk while many people love them for their rich egg flavor. These eggs have become popular due to their use as a mixing ingredient for herbs. Eggs can be used in herbal medicines, such as beauty, skincare, and high-strength medicines.
Duck egg contains complete and balanced substances having higher protein content than eggs of other poultry birds; however, duck eggs contain high cholesterol. Humans are rational now about their health so they choose the livestock products that contain low cholesterol levels because consuming foodstuffs with high cholesterol levels can cause several diseases stroke, atherosclerosis, liver cancer, and coronary heart diseases.
Researchers are concerned to find out effective ways to reduce the cholesterol level in duck eggs. Among these attempts, an effective way is to supplement the duck feed with garlic (Allium sativum L.) powder because garlic contains allicin that has the ability to inhibit the biosynthesis of cholesterol. Jaya et al. (2018) studied that the administration of fresh garlic is difficult because ducks have a very sharp sense of smell.
Several studies on cholesterol confirm its linkage with several and the consumption of high cholesterol-containing food results in high plasma cholesterol; therefore, cholesterol is categorized as a dangerous food ingredient. Basically, cholesterol is a product of animal metabolism that is found in foods based on meat, liver, brain, and egg yolks. Previous researches indicated the reduction in the cholesterol levels in blood and meat of laying hens, broilers, quails, and rats after supplementing feed with garlic.
Nyoman Sukartha Jaya et al. (2020) presented a research work published in the Pakistan Journal of Nutrition in order to investigate the effect of garlic powder on the total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, triglyceride in egg yolks and blood along with the feed conversion, feed consumption and egg production of duck. The team of researchers explicitly indicated that administration with 6 g duck–1 day–1 garlic powder supplementation in duck feed can be used to promote specific traits, like low cholesterol and fat contents. They also found that the as increased egg weight and production showed a tendency to increase with an increase in feed consumed by the ducks.
Editor
Add comment