Camelina sativa (L. Crantz) products; an alternative feed ingredient for poultry diets with its nutritional and physiological consequences

Due to increased demand for common feedstuffs such as corn, soybean and fish meals for poultry diets, the search for alternative sources of energy and protein for feed production could help to reduce production costs in the commercial poultry industry. Camelina sativa might be considered a new source of protein, energy and n-3 fatty acids (FA) in poultry diets. The oil content of camelina seeds (CS) is about 35 to 40%. Approximately 50% of this oil is composed of polyunsaturated FA. Moreover, camelina meal (CM) has 16% crude fat. The major n-3 FA of CS and CM is α-linolenic acid (about 30%) which is considered to be nutritionally important. The oil contains other bio-active compounds such as γ-tocopherol, flavonoids and phenolic compounds. Camelina seeds and meal can produce 6258 and 5110 kcal/kg of gross energy, 245–292 and 315–398 g/kg crude protein and 248 and 127 g/kg crude fibre, respectively. However, CS and CM contain 21.77 and 28.08 μmol/g glucosinolates and 12.10 and 12.93 TIU /mg trypsin inhibitors, respectively as anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) that can affect poultry performance adversely. Overall, dietary inclusion of camelina products will supply energy and protein for bird, enhance the antioxidant capacity and lipid stability of poultry products and provide health-promoting n-3 FA and tocopherol rich-foods to humans. However, raw CS contains some ANFs, and its maximum safe level (MSL) is 5% meal or seed, and 2% oil for all type of birds. Hence, it is necessary to establish suitable techniques for removing anti-nutritional factors from CS and increase its MSL in poultry diets.