DETERMINATION OF 6-KETOCHOLESTANOL IN UNIRRADIATED AND IRRADIATED CHICKEN MEATS

A method to detect 6-ketocholestanol in unirradiated and irradiated chicken meats was developed by means of chloroform-methanol-water extraction, adsorption chromatographic column separation and gas chromatography. This method is able to measure cholesterol oxidation products at levels that are much lower than those of previous methods. The new procedure was used to detect 6-keto-cholestanol in fresh, unirradiated chicken and measured more than 97% of the test compound added to chicken below the ppm level. Irradiation of the chicken meats to a dose of 10 kGy increased the concentration of this compound to about four times the level of unirradiated meats.