A. Hobson‐Frohock

Rapeseed meal and egg taint: Association with sinapine

1. The “fishy” taint of brown‐shelled eggs from susceptible birds due to the presence of trimethylamine following the feeding of rapeseed meal has been shown to be associated with the presence of sinapine in the rapeseed meal.

Rapeseed Meal and egg taint

1. Certain rapeseed meals in the diet of hens laying brown eggs result in the production, from some birds, of eggs which have a “ fishy ” or “ crabby ” odour because of the presence of trimethylamine. 2. Such susceptible birds have been used to demonstrate that the activity can be extracted from rapeseed meal with appropriate solvents.

Volatile compounds from the mite Acarus siro L. in food

Abstract The headspace above two strains of Acarus siro maintained on wheat germ/bran has been shown to contain the hydrocarbons, decane, undecane and tridecane together with the furanoid terpene, perillen. When the bodies of the separated mites were extracted with diethyl ether a new compound was found in addition to those in the headspace. This compound has been identified as 2-hydroxy-6-methyl benzaldehyde. None of these compounds appears to be responsible for the ‘minty’ smell reportedly related to mite infestation.

Fumigation of poultry food with methyl bromide: Effects on egg flavour, number and weight

1. Rhode Island Red females were fed, from hatching, on diets which had been fumigated with methyl bromide at the concentration recommended for the elimination of salmonellae or at 1 1/2 times this value. 2. Body weight, egg weight or egg number were not significantly affected by treatments, but sexual maturity may have been slightly delayed. 3. There was some evidence of an adverse effect on egg flavour, particularly by the trained sensory panel. 4. Principles of experimental design for this type of experiment are discussed.

Fumigation of poultry food with methyl bromide: Effects on flavour and acceptability of broiler meat

1. Broilers were fed on control and treated commercial diets to test the effects of fumigation with methyl bromide gas at 69% and 25% over the value recommended for the elimination of salmonellae. 2. A trained sensory panel found significant taint in roasted meat from birds fed on the fumigated food. More than half of the consumers in the home panel rated the control birds better than the birds fed on the fumigated food. 3. Growth of broilers was not affected by the treatment.