10 COMPARATIVE RATE OF DECOMPOSITION IN MARKET POULTRY. 



between the four lots, so far as visual inspection could determine. 

 The haul had been fairly prompt and the temperature sufficiently 

 low to carry birds which had been previously well chilled or frozen 

 in perfect condition, and the wholesaler's chill room maintained about 

 the same temperature as the car. However, changes did go on, as 

 the laboratory work shows plainly, though they were not extensive. 

 The acidity of the fat is increased in all the samples and though the 



FIG. 2. Changes in ammoniacal nitrogen in the flesh, comparing four methods of dressing (average 



data). 



variation is slight the full drawn is a little in advance. Practically, 

 however, all the forms of dressing are running parallel. 



This is shown again by the amount of ammonium compounds in 

 the flesh (fig. 2). The flesh of fresh, dry-picked, air-cooled chickens 

 shows about 0.0120 per cent of these compounds. As aging progresses 

 the quantity increases, but it does not increase so rapidly as die acid 

 in the fat, nor so quickly. As indicated above, the amount of 

 ammonium salts in the fresh samples is very small, and even when 



