Research Note: Utility of the Thiobarbituric Acid Test in the Determination of the Quality of Fats and Oils in Feeds

The TBA test is a rapid and simple method for determining the extent that a fat has degraded to non-metabolizable aldehydes, such as malondialdehyde. A fat that has a high peroxide number or high value in the TBA test would not be suitable for use in feeds because it would contain a high peroxide or aldehyde content. The digestibility of corn oil, poultry fat, and a commercial animal-vegetable blend incorporated into a basal diet were 91.0, 88.3, and 69.7% with metabolizable energy of 9.664, 9.020, and 5.961 kcal/g and transit times in the digestive tract of 173, 167, and 140 min, respectively. The commercial blend had the highest value in the TBA test and also had the highest level of lipid hydroperoxides and the lowest content of total fatty acids. In contrast, the corn oil had the lowest value in the TBA test, the lowest peroxide number, and the highest content of total fatty acids. The data suggest that the TBA test may be useful as an indication of the quality of fats and oils for use in feeds.