Comparison of effects of dietary olive oil, tallow and vitamin e on the quality of broiler meat and meat products

1. The effect of dietary fat and vitamin E supplementation on quality attributes (drip loss, oxidative stability, sensory quality) in chicken meat and meat products was investigated. Broiler chicks were fed on diets containing tallow (60 g/kg) or olive oil (60 g/kg) at a basal (30 mg/kg diet) or supplemental (200 mg/kg diet) concentration of α-tocopheryl acetate for 8 weeks. The α-tocopheryl content and fatty acid composition of breast and thigh meat was determined. Drip loss was determined in breast fillets. Lipid oxidation (thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances/TBARS) and sensory quality (warmed-over flavour development/WOF) were assessed in minced thigh meat during storage. 2. Dietary olive oil increased the ratio of monounsaturated to saturated fatty acids (MUFA/SFA) in the diets. In breast and thigh, this resulted in approximately a two-fold increase in the MUFA/SFA ratio. Supplemental a-tocopherol increased the α-tocopherol content of muscles. 3. Dietary fat did not influence drip loss in thawed breast fillets during refrigerated storage, but supplemental α-tocopherol reduced drip loss. 4. TBARS and WOF development in minced thigh meat patties were also reduced by supplemental α-tocopherol following frozen storage, or cooking and refrigerated storage. Storage stability was not adversely affected by dietary fat. 5. Overall, the results showed that increasing the monounsaturated profile of chicken meat lipids did not adversely affect quality characteristics. Dietary α-tocopherol supplementation was a more important factor in the determination of broiler meat quality.