Increased Storage Stability of Chicken Muscle by Dietary α-Tocopherol Supplementation

Chicks were fed on diets containing 5, 25, 65 or 180 mg α-tocopheryl acetate/kg for 24 days and the stability of both raw and cooked muscle stored at 4° and -20°C determined by the thiobarbituric acid assay. Concentrations of thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances (TBARS) were 4 to 10-fold higher in cooked muscle than in the corresponding raw muscle samples. TBARS concentrations in cooked muscle from chicks fed on high α-tocopherol diets were significantly lower during refrigerated or frozen storage than those in muscle from chicks given low α-tocopherol. A similar protective effect of α-tocopherol supplementation was observed in raw muscle samples during frozen (-20°C), but not refrigerated (4°C), storage. The results confirm that incorporation of α-tocopherol into muscle by dietary supplementation is an effective means of prolonging the shelf-life of poultry products.