Relative Role of Phospholipids, Triacylglycerols, and Cholesterol Esters on Malonaldehyde Formation in Fat Extracted from Chicken Meat

Fresh breast and leg meat was collected from 11‐wk‐old pullets fed a high protein‐low fat starter ration. Lipid oxidation measured in malonaldehyde (MA) equivalents in total fat extracted from meat, and in phospholipids (PL), triacylglycerol (TG), and cholesterol ester (CE) fractions of total fat was determined by an improved TBA assay with antioxidant protection. It was found that breast meat had two‐fold less fat than leg. Breast fat contained 70.1% PL, 22.2% TG, and 1.2% CE; leg fat contained 42.9% PL, 51.4% TG, and 0.8% CE. After separation by thin layer chromatography, the individual lipid classes were tested for TBA reactivity. The PL fraction was found to contribute approximately 90% of the MA measured in total fat from chicken meat.