LIPID OXIDATION AND MYOSIN DENATURATION IN DARK CHICKEN MEAT

Hand-deboned samples of dark ground meat from 6-week-old broilers were treated with varying combinations of FeSO4, ascorbic acid, and alpha- tocopherol. Mixtures were incubated at 37 degrees C for 0, 50, 100, an d 200 min. Lipid oxidation was determined by measuring thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. Myosin was isolated from incubated samples, and denaturation was determined by measuring intrinsic tryptophan fluo rescence, 1-anilino-8-naphthalenesulfonate binding, and Ca2+-ATPase ac tivity. Myosin denaturation during heating was positively correlated w ith lipid oxidation. Exogeneously added alpha-tocopherol reduced lipid oxidation and decreased myosin denaturation during heating.