Functional foods are food sources that have an added ingredient to perform an additional function, whether it is from a new

or previous ingredient. These ingredients are often used to promote healthfulness and prevent disease. Common sources of functional food are carotenoids, fibers, flavonoids, prebiotics, probiotics and fatty acids. With rise in disease and obesity, functional foods are becoming more popular because they help add lacking nutrients that our population lacks. A somewhat recent functional food ingredient today is omega-3s. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are essential in the human diet and can be found in some plant sources and fish. This functional food ingredient is important because of the role these acids play in body maintenance and function. Omega-3s function mainly in lipid bilayer membranes and are precursors to eicosanoids. These eicosanoids regulate cellular function by exerting complex control over many bodily systems and as messengers in the central nervous system. Deficiency in these fatty acids cause symptoms of neurological and visual abnormalities.1 As important as these omega-3s are, most Americans lack omega-3s2 which is why these fatty acids are now being placed in eggs. Egg production in the United States totaled 91.4 billion,3 making eggs an integral part of the diet. Since eggs are noted to be so imperative to Americans, consumption of fatty acid can be an option at the market. This will affect the U.S. positively by having a better ratio of omega-3 acids in our body like the Mediterranean diet. The Mediterranean diet is known for a better ratio of omega-3s with its inclusion of natural oils and fish. Because of this, the Mediterranean diet has a significantly lower heart disease population compared to Americans. Our American diet is known as the western diet. This diet is notorious of being high in unhealthy fats, lower in omega-3 fatty acid which is why incorporation of these fatty acids as a functional food may be imperative. Fatty acids and eggs are now having an important relationship to the

U.S. population with the science of fortification in eggs as a functional food ingredient, positively impacting those who are lacking.

Omega-3 fatty acids, also known as n-3, are broken up into three different fatty acids. Although these fatty acids are closely related, they have different functions in the human body. Alpha-linoleic acid, also known as ALA, is one of the main omega-3 because our body partially converts the remaining two from this fatty acid. Unfortunately the conversion is limited due to the competitive enzymes interfering.5 ALA, found in various vegetable oils, converts starting in the endoplasmic reticulum where the enzyme desaturase breaks it down into stearidonic acid. Stearidonic acid is then combined with elongase and desaturase once again, turning the fatty acid chain into eicosapentaenoic acid, another essential omega-3. Eicosapentaenoic acid is generally known as EPA and is found in seafood. EPA is also known to be a component of tissues in mammals, validating the essentiality of the fatty acid. EPA will convert to docosapentaenoic acid if the metabolic rate of elongase continues. Furthermore through desaturase, docosapentaenoic acid will convert in the peroxisome converting the fatty acid to Docosahexaenoic acid is betaoxidation occurs. Docosahexaenoic acid or DHA, is the final conversion and the last omega-3. DHA is greatly responsible for membrane phospholipids in retinal photoreceptors, cerebral grey matter, testes, and sperm.1 DHA is also found in various seafood, which is why the western diet is so low in these essential fatty acids but so high in eastern countries (diets high in fish). Fish high in omega-3 include mackerel, salmon, and trout. Although not as rich as fish, some vegetables contain omega-3 such as leafy greens and vegetable oils.

The health benefits of these omega-3 fatty acids can be very controversial, but nonetheless absolute. The supplement industry has boomed in the twentieth century because of this vital nutrient. Awareness increased, as well as demand for the product. Populations began to discover that there is a link between omega-3s and inflammation, mental function, vision, blood pressure, immunity, metabolism and cell-membrane health.4 One of its most recognized properties, inflammation, may be responsible for delaying ovarian aging and improving oocyte quality at advanced maternal age.12 It is also responsible for quicker recovery in athletes participating in eccentric strength exercises.13 This is because of the increased inflammation on athletes bodies after exercise. Unfortunately, American diets are high in omega-6 fatty acids and low in omega-3 which causes problems. The ratio should be somewhat even but omega-6, located in margarines and oils, outnumber the omega-3 by 22:1 in some western diets.4 However, this ratio is not ideal for the United States and is responsible for the large increase of heart disease. Heart disease is the top disease in America responsible for over 30,000 deaths a year. Taking omega-3s will reduce heart disease by keep inflammatory processes in check and by balancing the omega-6s in our diet. Omega-6 has been noted to promote inflammation, which can weaken the heart and lead to plaque buildup. Omega-6 are important essential fatty acids as well but need to be properly balanced by omega-3, which acts as an anti-inflammatory.

Since America is realizing the need for these essential nutrients, a demand for omega-3 products is occurring. Getting it into the product, as a functional food, is difficult however feeding animals rich diets in omega-3 may make it easier. Hens fed a diet rich in fatty acids have been studied to produce higher nutrient quality in their eggs. Manufacturers that sell omega-3 eggs buy chicken feed that have additional functional food ingredient. The hens then

digest and metabolize the ingredient, which are the omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. The fatty acids are then transferred into the eggs that the lay. There are many different sources of omega-3 fatty acid but the three sources greatly studied to improve the omega-3 profile in eggs are flaxseed, fish oil, and autotrophic algae. The reason for the different types is because manufacturers are trying to experiment with types to figure out max profit values. Each type may have different cost, storage, or nutrient values. Flaxseed is the seed from the flax plant that is high in ALA. As previously discussed ALA is responsible for the remaining two omegas, making it an optimal choice for omega-3 fatty acids. According to a study by Yalcyn H et al, hens fed a diet rich in flaxseed improve the omega-3 profiles of the eggs. Thus creating a successful way of incorporating these essential nutrients into Americas diet. However conversation rate of ALA into EPA and DHA is low. Interestingly, fish oil added to hens seemed to have an increase of DHA profile on eggs. The downside to this added functional food ingredient is it had a change physically on the egg yoke, being less weight. The theory of placing a combination of flaxseed and oil together would give eggs a higher nutrient profile for omega3s seems to be most effective. Many autotrophic microalgae also produce high amounts of long chain fatty acids (omega-3s) as well as other nutrients like carotenoids, making this an impressive functional food ingredient. However, more research is needed on the conversion of ALA to EPA and DHA. Also the price of this functional food ingredient is at great expense. Ultimately, there is no one greater than other, but flaxseed is the only one currently on the market commercially. This is mainly because of the low cost of the flax. The effectiveness is of concern but several studies have been able to demonstrate that PUFAs in eggs are taken up by the human digestive tract where they are transferred to blood plasma to exert their active role.5 Overall, omega-3 eggs seem to be a healthy choice, but how does it compare to other egg

selections. With a variety of egg selections, omega-3 eggs may not be the optimal choice. Organic eggs are chickens fed only organic feed with no antibiotics or hormones and conventional is the regular eggs with USDA regulations. A study done by Samman S et al, compared the fatty acid composition of organic, conventional, and omega-3 eggs through gas chromatography. What was found was that omega-3 eggs have significantly lower levels of myristic and palmitic acids, resulting in a lower percentage of saturated fats, and a significantly higher percentage of ALA, DHA, and total omega-3 fatty acids. Organic and conventional seem to be very similar with organic having slightly higher saturated fat levels due to addition myristic and palmitic acids.11

Controversy occurs whether or not Omega-3s added to eggs reduce the cholesterol in the egg. Some studies suggest it does not change, but some say otherwise. In a study by Atakis E et al, omega-3 fatty acid application reduced yolk and plasma cholesterol levels in Japanese quails. These quails were fed an oral supplement of fish oil and had quite a significant change in cholesterol. The good news is that a property of omega-3s is to reduce cholesterol once metabolized in the human body no matter what.6 Thus making eggs a perfect target for omega3s. Another reason why eggs make such a great target for omega-3 consumption is because of the extensive properties eggs have. This ideal functional food brings out the omega-3 in other products using the eggs without change in structure or taste. For baked goods, fortified PUFA eggs can be used to color, emulsify, thicken, and/or foam a product. Additionally, the high baking temperatures will not ruin PUFAs, making no significant difference between regular conventional eggs in baking or cooking. The final and main reason eggs were targeted for omega-3 fortification is because eggs already contain omega-6 fatty acids. As mentioned previously the ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s in not well balanced therefore fortification of n-3

PUFAs helps restore the balance in the eggs nutrient profile and for this reason, national health benefits. Not only does America benefit, but the manufacture benefits as well, giving eggs a better reputation with no loss in production performance. According to a study by Al-Nasser AY et al, adding flaxseed in the diet did not adversely affect egg production, egg weight, or feed efficiency.8 Hence more profit for the company overall.

Sensory evaluations of omega-3 fatty acids have also been conducted. As mentioned there is no great significant difference compared to the average conventional egg, however slight changes do occur. The lipids in the fatty acids are responsible for the different odors and textures. Fat not only aids in creating texture properties it also carries lipophilic flavors and aromatic compounds contributing to the different ratings on evaluations.9 According to a study done by Sedoski HD et al. subjects participated in an evaluation of eggs with different sources of n-3 PUFAs. Subjects rated the regular conventional egg as poor in color compared to the other eggs. However the odor, flavor, texture between fingers, and mouth feel were slightly preferred in the regular egg. The overall liking was very close between the algae fortified egg and the regular egg. The flax fortified egg had the lowest ratings overall, the only thing positive was the coloration of the egg. The same study also looked into water weight loss of the eggs over a 14day period. The study included many types of eggs fortified with an assortment of beneficial PUFAs. As the study was concluded, it was found that after storing eggs for some time, weight loss of PUFA eggs had occurred. The control, regular egg did lose some weight as well but not as much as PUFAs. More research is needed, especially in the understanding of why this happens. However, as mentioned before, manufactures are not too concerned with their current profits. Fortunately, weight loss may be avoided by the addition of vitamin B6 with the flaxseed

and/or fish oil. Hens fed a diet with flaxseed with the addition of vitamin B6 may counteract linatine antagonism, increasing vitelline membrane strength (support around yolk), egg weight and yolk weights.10 This suggests that the included fortification of B6 will only further support this functional food and save producers loss of weight when stored.

In Conclusion, omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids are an important nutrient having many different roles in our body. They are responsible for disease prevention, aging, and maintenance of cell function. ALA, EPA, and DHA are know as the omega-3 fatty acids and are essential in our diet. Omega-3 fatty acids are becoming a functional food ingredient in many different products, especially with the booming supplement craze. Finding ways of incorporating the fatty acids is the only draw back. Fortunately eggs work well in incorporating omega-3, especially because America deems eggs as a necessity and helping cholesterol issues in the egg, making it the perfect target. With the combination of omega-3s and eggs, it can make for a healthier choice benefiting egg producers and Americans. This combination is very helpful to Americans western diet because omega-6 are outnumbering omega-3s causing rise in deadly disease. By increasing n-3 PUFAs, this ratio will be closer to evening out. Omega-3 eggs seem to be the better choice when selecting a nutrient dense egg with no significant change in production and cooking. In the near future more products may have omega-3 fortification choices. Whether or not this will be controversial, it is a good thing because with the exceptionally high omega-6 in our processed foods, there needs to be a healthy balance of omega-3 fatty acids. If not death rates will only continue to increase because of the growing cases of heart disease in America.

Information on omega-3 eggs is important to the application of dietetic practice because dietitians need to be aware that these eggs when helping clients. When informing clients, dieticians should inform them that omega-3 eggs could help them increase their n-3 fatty acids. However, this may not be the case if the client eats a high amount of this fatty acid already. Also clients may want to know if its worth the extra buck for these eggs. Dieticians should inform them that it will increase their omega-3, but may or may not be necessary for that client. Also clients may be curious from the booming supplement craze of omega-3 and may want some additional information. As dietitians we should have at least a general understanding of omega-3 since it is a nutrient that has such a big impact in human health.

1. Gropper SS, Smith JL. "Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism." Belmont, CA: Yolanda cossio; 2005: 138-140

2. DHA & the omega-3 revolution: how the margarine craze brought America to the brink of nutritional Armageddon -- and how omega-3s brought us back. 3. http://www.uspoultry.org/economic_data/ 4. DHA & the omega-3 revolution: how the margarine craze brought America to the brink of nutritional Armageddon -- and how omega-3s brought us back. 5. dietary enrichment of eggs... 6.Effect of Adding Flaxseed in the Diet of Laying Hens on Both Production of Omega-3 Enriched Eggs and on Production Performance. 7. find in text, towards beginning... i think

8.Effect of Adding Flaxseed in the Diet of Laying Hens on Both Production of Omega-3 Enriched Eggs and on Production Performance. 9. Sensory evaluation and quality indicators of nutritionally-enhanced egg product with -3 rich oils 10. effect omega layer rations... 11. . 12. Prolonging the female reproductive lifespan and improving egg quality with dietary omega-3 fatty acids. 13. The effect of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation on the inflammatory response to eccentric strength exercise. 14. Omega-3 fatty acid application reduces yolk and plasma cholesterol levels in Japanese quails