In Vivo Evaluation of Omega 3 Fatty Acids Fortified Infant Flours in Relation with the Growth and the Lipid Profile of Rats

Formulated Infant flours and fortified with omega-3 fatty acids were evaluated in vivo. Three groups of five growing Wistar rats aged from 21 ± 3 days with an average weight of 43.41± 0,32 grams were fed with Omega 3 fatty acids fortified Infant flours (FMMS: Infant flour fortified with a whole soy flour and FMMHHP: infant flour fortified with a mackerel oil). Nutritional parameters (weight gain, total dry matter intake and feed efficiency ratio), the lipid profile of their serum and weight of organs (liver, spleen, brain, adipose tissue) were performed at the end of experiment. Weight gain (WG: 2.36 g / day), total dry matter intake (DMI: 10.75 g / day) and feed efficiency ratio (FE: 0.22) for FMMS and (WG: 1.63 g / day; DMI: 9. 22 g / day, FE: 0.18) for FMMHHP were higher than those of rats fed to non-fortified flour FMMHA (WG: 0.72 g / day, DMI: 7.17 g / day, FE: 0.10). The values of total cholesterol (0.64 and 0.66 mg / dl), triglycerides (0.88 and 0.98 mg / dl) and LDL cholesterol (0.05 and 0.11 mg / dl) of rats fed with fortified flours FMMS and FMMHHP were lower than those of rats fed with non-fortified infant flours (FMMHA) (total cholesterol 0.85 mg / dl, triglycerides 1.09 mg / dl, LDL cholesterol 0.24 mg / dl). The HDL cholesterol values (0.40 to 0.45 mg / dl) obtained in the rats that consumed the fortified flours was higher than value obtained in the rats that had consumed the non-fortified flour (0.32 mg / dl). The consumption of omega 3 fortified flours also resulted in a significant decrease in serum levels of total and LDL cholesterol and an increase in serum HDL cholesterol levels in the rat. The consumption of these fortified infant flours does not lead to hyperlipidemia in growing rats.