Effect of Trimethylamine on Flavor of Broilers

Trimethylamine (TMA) was fed to broilers at 3 levels of fish oil: 0, 0.75, and 1.50% for 8½ weeks. The TMA levels were: 0–2 weeks: 0.298%, 3–5 weeks: 0.149%, 6–8½ weeks: 0.101%. The 3 levels of fish oil were fed simultaneously to a control series. The primary components of the basal diet were soybean meal, corn gluten meal, and meat and bone meal. Taste evaluations were made on the broilers. The incidence of fishy flavors was higher with increased fish oil and was approximately the same for the control and trimethylamine series (means: 4–6%). Off-flavors other than fishy flavors were 4% in the control series and 17% in the TMA series. The off-flavor incidence was approximately the same for each level of fish oil in the TMA series. In a second experiment, broilers fed TMA at 0.101% were compared with a control after a 4–8 week feeding. No fish oil was added. No fishy flavors were reported with either diet. The control diet resulted in 3% of other off-flavors. The broilers on TMA diet had 16% off-flavors. The primary off-flavors other than fishy were designated as bitter, strong, and oily.