RAPID AND QUANTITATIVE-DETERMINATION OF HEXANAL IN COOKED MUSCLE FOODS

A simple and rapid method was developed to quantify hexanal in cooked muscle foods. The method involves extraction of the 2,4-dinitrophenylh ydrazones of carbonyls with hexane and their separation by reversed-ph ased high performance liquid chromatography. The method compared well with the classical thiobarbituric acid test. The method was successful ly used to quantify hexanal in cooked beef and pork burgers during sto rage at 4 degrees C for up to 1 week as well as in cooked turkey burge rs after diet supplementation with vitamin E. After 7 days' storage at 4 degrees C, the contents of hexanal increased from 0.71 to 22.50 mu mol/kg in beef burgers, from 0.89 to 32.75 mu mol/kg in pork burgers a nd from 1.31 to 52.16 mu mol/kg in turkey burgers (20 mg vitamin E per kg feed). Supplementation of turkey feeds with 600 mg vitamin E per k g resulted in a 24% reduction in hexanal content in cooked turkey burg ers after storage for 7 days at 4 degrees C, compared to the control ( unsupplemented) group.