Modified Extraction 2-Thiobarbituric Acid Method for Measuring Lipid Oxidation in Poultry

A simple and accurate objective test for monitoring lipid oxidation in poultry products is needed. Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values of cooked poultry meat were determined by a distillation method and by a modified extraction method. Perchloric acid was used in the extraction method to release TBA reactive substances from the meat. The maximum absorption wavelength of the TBA-malonaldehyde complex was 531 nm. The TBA values for cooked chicken and turkey were highly correlated (r = .91) for both the extraction and distillation methods. Sensory scores of warmed-over flavor in precooked poultry were highly correlated with TBA values in both the distillation (r = .83) and extraction (r = .85) methods. Results indicate that the extraction method is faster, easier to perform, and as accurate as the distillation method for monitoring lipid oxidation in poultry.