Effect of dietary α-tocopheryl acetate supplementation on α-tocopherol distribution in raw Turkey muscles and its effect on the storage stability of cooked Turkey meat

Day-old turkey chicks (n = 99) were divided at random into three groups (n = 33) and fed diets containing 20 (E20), 300 (E300) and 600 (E600) mg all-rac-α-tocopheryl acetate per kg feed per day for 21 weeks prior to slaughter. After slaughter, breasts and legs were removed and examined for α-tocopherol content. Breast muscle from birds fed the three diets was oven cooked, cooled, sliced and overwrapped. The oxidative and colour stability of the slices was examined. Mean α-tocopherol levels in turkey muscle were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the E300 and E600 groups compared to the control group fed the E20 diet. α-Tocopherol levels in the E300 and E600 groups showed that concentrations in leg muscle were significantly (p < 0.05) higher than in breast muscle. α-Tocopherol levels in leg and breast muscles from birds fed E20 and E600 diets decreased significantly (p < 0.05) during 12 months of frozen (-20°C) storage. TBARS numbers for breast slices from all three dietary groups, cooked both 24 hr after slaughter and following frozen (-20°C×11 months) storage, increased during refrigerated (4°C) display for 10 days. TBARS number s for slices produced from meat previously held in frozen storage increased more rapidly than those for meat cooked following slaughter. In both cases, E300 and E600 diets significantly (p < 0.05) suppressed lipid oxidation compared to E20 samples. In general, Hunter a values for meat slices from turkeys fed the E300 and E600 diets were higher than those for meat slices from turkeys fed the E20 diet.