FISHERY BULLETIN: VOL. 74, NO. 1 



amino compounds (Fujimoto et al. 1968) have 

 been implicated in such nonenzymatic browning 

 (Tarr 1954; Jones 1962). 



It is clear that the development of the normal 

 aroma of poultry is time-temperature dependent 

 and that air or nitrogen cooking atmospheres 

 have profound effects on the development of this 

 aroma. Therefore, it is likely that control of the 

 cooking atmosphere may affect the development 

 of fishy flavor in poultry meat if this flavor 

 requires air and/or heat for its development. 



This paper explores the effects of cooking in 

 different atmospheres on the flavor of breast meat 

 from turkeys fed diets containing tuna oil w^ith 

 and without dietary a-tocopherol acetate or 

 a-tocopherol injection. Diced breast meat was 

 cooked in air as well as under nitrogen with a 

 slight vacuum. 



EXPERIMENTAL 



Turkey Diets and Feeding 



The turkeys used in this experiment were 

 taken from groups of turkeys raised experi- 

 mentally for other work. Their diets and feeding 

 are described in some detail by Crawford et al. 

 (1975). Briefly, there were 50 White Broad Breast 

 poults in experiment C that were divided into five 

 groups of 10 each and they were fed as follows: 

 chick starter (6.75% fish meal) was fed to 3 wk of 

 age, then a 50:50 mixture of chick starter and a 

 50% soybean meal basal diet for a few days, 

 followed by the 50% soybean meal diet supple- 

 mented with 2% soybean oil and 2% beef fat to 8 

 wk of age. At 8 wk of age, the following fat and oil 

 supplements replaced the previous ones and they 

 were fed from 8 to 14 wk of age: 



Oil Supplement to Basal Diet^ 

 4% BF 



Group 

 1 C 

 2C 

 3 C 

 4C 

 5C 



2% BF + 2% TO 

 2% BF + 2% TO 

 2% BF + 2% TO 

 2% BF + 2% TO 



iBF = Beef fat; TO = Tuna fish oil. 



At 14 wk of age, the above groups of turkeys 

 were fed a 30% soymeal basal diet plus the 

 following oil supplement to 16 wk of age: 



Group Oil Supplement to Basal Diet^ 



1 C Keep on 4% BF 



2 C Change to 4% BF 



3 C Change to 4% BF + 100 mg Vit. E/kg 



4 C Change to 4% BF + 200 mg Vit E/kg 



5 C Keep on 2% BF + 2% TO 



^BF = Beef fat; Vit. E = dl a-tocopherol acetate; 

 TO = Tuna fish oil 



In experiment B, 50 poults were obtained and 

 handled as above. On day 3, they were fed a basal 

 diet plus 4% beef fat to 14 wk of age. From 14 to 16 

 wk of age, they were fed as follows: 



Oil Supplement to Basal Diet 

 4% BF 



2% BF + 2% TO 



2% BF + 2% TO (+ injection of 170 

 mg a-tocopherol into thigh at 72, 

 48, 24 h before sacrifice) 

 2% BF + 2% TO + 100 mg Vit. E/kg 

 2% BF + 2% TO + 500 mg Vit. E/kg 



Sampling, Canning, and Analysis 



All turkeys were sacrificed at 16 wk of age then 

 handled and stored at -30°C as described by 

 Crawford et al. (1974). Two turkeys from each 

 group were randomly selected and thawed over- 

 night in a 2°C cold room. The breasts were excised 

 and diced in the cold after the skin had been 

 removed. Breast meat from turkeys of the same 

 group were mixed together and appropriately 

 identified. The diced breast meat was canned 

 immediately as follows: breast meat from each 

 group was hand packed into 307 x 113 cans (eight 

 cans per group) leaving a headspace of about V2 

 inch. All cans from each group were alternately 

 evacuated and flushed with nitrogen several 

 times. On the final nitrogen flush, the lids were 

 sealed when the vacuum dropped to 5 inches. 

 Four of the cans from each group were frozen at 

 -30°C until used and the other four cans were 

 cooked immediately at 116°C (15 psi) for 80 min to 

 an internal temperature of ca. 112°-115°C, cooled, 

 and stored at 2°C until used. The four uncooked 

 cans from each group were removed from -30°C 

 storage, thawed to about 2°C, opened, and the 

 contents cooked in aluminum trays (with loose 

 covers) at about 117°C for 30 min (internal tem- 

 perature ca. 70°C) before serving. Those cans that 

 were cooked at 116°C were warmed in boiling 

 water for 10 min before opening and serving. 

 Organoleptic analysis was performed by a panel 

 of eight judges using a balanced incomplete block 

 design (t = 5, r = 4). Only one panel per day was 



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