Quantitative relationship between alpha-tocopherol and polyunsaturated fatty acids and its connection to development of oxidative rancidity in porcine skeletal muscle.

Quantitative relationships were investigated between α-tocopherol and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) or PUFA>18:2 (PUFA with three or more double bonds) in porcine red (M. biceps femoris) and white (M. longissimus thoracis) muscles.Their effects on the development of oxidative rancidity in refrigerated precooked muscles were also investigated. The differences in the molar ratios of PUFA or PUFA>18:2-to-α-tocopherol or in the concentrations of α-tocopherol (pmol) to PUFA or PUFA>18:2 (per gram) were not statistically significant in the two types of muscles, although red muscle had lower molar ratios of PUFA-or PUFA>18:2-to-α-tocopherol and higher levels of α-tocopherol per gram of PUFA or PUFA>18:2 than did the white muscle. 2-Thiobarbituric acid (TBA) values for cooked ground muscles, subsequently refrigerated for 3 days tended to increase with decreasing concentrations of α-tocopherol per gram of PUFA and PUFA>18:2 of total lipids.