| Abstract: | Samples from turkey breast and thigh muscle were taken from freshly slaughtered birds under sterile conditions and stored at 37, 4 or ?18°C for up to 24 months. Changes in lipid fractions, fatty acids compositions and oxidised products were determined at intervals. Lipolysis of phospholipids was observed at 37 and at 4°C and to a small extent at ?18°C, with little change in triglyceride levels. Free fatty acid levels in general increased as phospholipids decreased. Oxodienes and conjugable oxidation products increased with time of storage, the latter products being negatively correlated with phospholipid concentrations. Changes in the ratio of tetraene to triene conjugated oxidation products formed indicated that some preferential oxidation of fatty acids more unsaturated than linoleic acid was occurring initially and this was followed by an increase in the proportion of dienes being oxidised. Both lipolysis and oxidation were faster in thigh than in breast muscle (P < 0.01) in the stored meat and in in-vitro systems. It is concluded that lipolysis and oxidation interact in the degradation of lipids during storage of turkey meat. |
