Stability of abdominal fat and meat of broilers: Effect of duration of feeding antioxidants1

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Abstract
The .alpha.-tocopherol (AT) content of abdominal fat and fat stability increased as a function of duration of .alpha.-tocopheryl acetate (ATA) feeding in broilers fed on diets containing 40 g acidulated soybean-oil soapstock (ASS) or tallow/kg. A linear relationship was observed between AT content of adipose tissue and its stability with both types of fat supplements. Stabilities of carcass fat and meat of 9-wk-old broilers fed on diets containing ASS with 300 mg ethoxyquin (EQ)/kg or diets containing tallow with 20 mg ATA/kg from week 5-9 were comparable with those obtained by feeding these antioxidants and fats throughout the growth period. ATA added to a diet containing ASS, and EQ added to a diet containing tallow did not improve meat stability despite such an effect on adipose tissue when fed for 9 wk. The importance of using the dietary antioxidant appropriate to the fat supplement to improve carcass stability is emphasized.