Influence of Dietary Palm Oil Supplementation on the Fatty Acid Composition of Meat

Over the last few decades, oils and fats have been added to commercial feeds to increase energy at low costs, but the use of animal-fat supplements has been limited, due to the risk of disease transmission, and as a result searches for alternative and economic energy sources have been undertaken. Palm oil is one of the most common and cheapest vegetable oils produced in the world today, and for this reason it is the one that is used the most as an energy supplement to obtain higher productive results in animal rearing. Several studies have evaluated the effects of adding palm oil to poultry and livestock diets on the dietetic value and/or the quality of meat. This study has the aim of reviewing the use of palm oil and its by-products in animal feeds and the influence of this dietary supplementation on the fatty acid composition of muscle and adipose tissue in ruminants, pigs, rabbits and poultry.