LAUSR

The long‐chain n‐3 fatty acids (FA) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) have human health benefits, and many experiments have investigated the ability of plant n‐3 sources to enrich n‐3 FA in broiler meat. A meta‐regression was conducted to evaluate the relationship between dietary 18‐carbon n‐3 FA content and the deposition of EPA, docosapentaenoic acid (DPA), and DHA in broiler breast and liver tissue. Bivariate regression of total diet 18‐carbon n‐3 and tissue FA profile was modeled with the random effect of experiment and the partial R2 was calculated. Increasing 18C n‐3 FA in the diet quadratically increased the log10 concentration of all n‐3 FA in breast tissue. The strongest relationship was found for breast alpha‐linolenic (partial R2 = 0.55), followed by EPA, DPA, and DHA (partial R2 = 0.20, 0.14, and 0.05). Liver enrichment of EPA, DPA, and DHA (all partial R2 > 0.43) and EPA + DHA (partial R2 = 0.55) was quadratically related to dietary 18C n‐3 FA, while liver EPA + DPA + DHA (partial R2 = 0.43) was linearly related to dietary 18C n‐3 FA. In both breast and liver, the plateau in tissue enrichment was more apparent for DHA than EPA, with DPA being intermediate. A linear plateau model fit the data with a break point for enriching EPA and DHA in breast muscle at 22.4 and 17.9 g/kg of 18C n‐3 FA in the diet, respectively. Enrichment of long‐chain n‐3 FA in broiler chickens was saturable, with little justification for feeding beyond approximately 20 g/kg 18C n‐3 FA.