PACKAGING COOKED TURKEY MEAT PATTIES WHILE HOT REDUCES LIPID OXIDATION

Elimination of oxygen by "hot packaging" reduced the 2-thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) value of meat patties by about 50% in control and myoglobin added, and between 30-40% in ferrous iron added turkey patties, as compared with "cold packaging." The TBARS values of hot and cold vacuum packaged patties were significantly lower than those of loosely packaged patties after 1 wk refrigerated storage. Most lipid oxidation in meat patties occurred at day 0, and only small changes in TBARS values were observed after 1 wk storage. Although the prooxidants in meat were major factors in promotion of lipid oxidation of cooked meat, hot packaging minimized their effects.