Dietary sesame seed oil supplementation enhances productive performance, antioxidant status, serum lipids, intestinal morphology and microbial load in rhode island red laying hens.

Authors

Saba Ajam, Sar Zamin Khan, Rafi Ullah, Shakoor Ahmad, Naseer Ahmad, Rifat Ullah Khan

Published in

Tropical animal health and production. Volume 58. Issue 6. Jul 08, 2026. Epub Jul 08, 2026.

Abstract

This study evaluated the effects of dietary sesame oil (SO) supplementation on production performance, egg quality, serum biochemical indices, antioxidant status, intestinal microflora, and intestinal morphology of laying hens. A total of 240 healthy, 30-week-old Rhode Island Red (RIR W-30) hens were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments in a completely randomized design, with five replicates per treatment (12 birds per replicate), over a five-week experimental period. The treatments consisted of a control diet without SO and diets supplemented with 0.5, 1.0, or 1.5 mL/kg SO. Dietary SO supplementation significantly improved production performance, as evidenced by increased egg production (daily and weekly), higher hen-day egg production, and reduced feed conversion ratio, with the greatest improvements observed at the highest inclusion level. Feed intake increased marginally but remained within normal physiological limits. Egg quality traits, including egg weight, shell characteristics, albumen height, and Haugh unit, were not affected by SO supplementation. Serum lipid profile was favorably modulated, with significant reductions in low-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol and a marked increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, while triglyceride levels remained unchanged. Antioxidant status was significantly enhanced, as indicated by increased activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase and elevated total antioxidant status. Furthermore, SO supplementation reduced intestinal counts of Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli and improved intestinal morphology by increasing villus height and villus-to-crypt ratio, particularly in the duodenum. In conclusion, dietary sesame oil, especially at 1.5 mL/kg, can be used as a functional feed additive to enhance productivity, metabolic health, antioxidant capacity, and gut health in laying hens without compromising egg quality.

PMID:
42420631
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 09 Jul 2026.

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