Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 March 2008
1. Extended feeding of an essential fatty acid (EFA)-deficient diet to laying hens increased liver size and liver lipid concentration.
2. The specific activities of hepatic lipogenic and glutamate-metabolizing enzymes were increased by feeding the EFA-deficient diet.
3. Restriction of daily food intake to 75 % of ad lib. intake did not affect the response to dietary fat concentration.
4. Hepatic enzyme activities in hens fed on restricted amounts of food and killed just before, or after, the normal daily feeding time indicated no reduced capacity for lipogenesis at the earlier time.