Dietary Vitamin E Affects Lipid Oxidation and Total Volatiles of Irradiated Raw Turkey Meat

Breast and leg meat patties, prepared from turkeys fed diets containing 25, 200, 400 or 600 IU of dl-α-tocopheryl acetate (TA) per kg diet, were irradiated at 0 or 2.5 kGy with vacuum or loose packaging. The effects of dietary TA on storage stability and production of volatiles in irradiated raw turkey meat were determined. Dietary TA at > 200 IU/kg decreased lipid oxidation and reduced total volatiles of raw turkey patties after 7-days of storage. However, the antioxidant effects of dietary TA were more notable when the patties were loosely packaged than when vacuum-packaged. Irradiation increased lipid oxidation of raw turkey meats only when loosely packaged but had limited effects on formation of total volatiles after storage at 4°C for 7 days or longer.