Fat:
Fats are organic compounds that are made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen; they are the most concentrated source of energy in foods. Fats belong to a group of substances called lipids. Fats come in liquid or solid form. All fats are combinations of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. Fats can be called very saturated or very unsaturated depending on their proportions.
Everyone needs body fat because it serves several essential functions:
- Storage of energy
- Insulation and maintenance of body heat
- Shock absorption
- An essential component of phospholipids and cholesterol synthesis. Phospholipids and cholesterol are important components of cell membranes
- Synthesis of certain hormones and prostaglandins
- Acts as a solvent for lipophilic vitamins (A, D, E, K).
Fat tissue is the largest, and most efficient, energy store in the body. The amount of energy that can be released from fat is about twice that of carbohydrates and proteins (1g fat = 9 kcal; 1g carbohydrate = 4 kcal; 1g protein = 4 kcal).
Too much fat easily leads to excess weight,increases the risk of illness.
Several researchers agree that fat is the main energy source for breast muscle function during prolonged flight. According to George and Jyotti (1955), in pigeons 77% of the energy necessary for muscle function is derived from the oxidation of lipids. Pigeon’s crop milk| is also known to contain much fat. These results prompted researchers to study what nutrients (lipids and carbohydrates) would be needed as an energy source for enhancing the performance of racing pigeons.
Goodman and Griminger (1969) conducted five experiments with racing homing pigeons to observe the effect on performance exerted by the energy source. In each experiment in which fat supplementation was used (the fat content of the feed was raised from 3.4 to 8.4%, from 3.7 to 8.7%, and from 3.7 to 6.8%), the pigeons receiving the fat-supplemented feed surpassed the control pigeons in performance. Twice as many experimental pigeons as controls could travel a distance of 200 miles or more.
From these results it was inferred that flying pigeons are likely to utilize fat more efficiently than carbohydrates as an energy source. Borghis and De Wilde (1992) and Janssen et al. (1998) also stated that carnation supplementation of the feed had a favorable effect on racing pigeons; it helped maintain the oxidative processes and prevent mule damage during prolonged flight.
Some of the best energy sources are corn, milo, safflower and when used sparingly raw peanuts.
