H. L. Hanson

The role of dietary fat in the quality of fresh and frozen storage turkeys

SummaryGroups of turkeys were fed, for eight weeks prior to slaughter, diets varying in the type of animal protein concentrate (fish meal vs. meat scraps) and varying in degree of unsaturation and kind of vegetable oil present (coconut oil vs. linseed oil). Chemical and organoleptic analyses of the fresh and stored carcasses established the following points:Differences in fatty acid composition of dietary fat of turkeys have a marked effect on the fatty-acid composition of carcass fat and correspondingly play a decisive role in the storage life of the turkey carcass.Typically fishy flavors and odors in roasted turkey meat, which can be caused by feeding fish (oil) products, can also be produced in the absence of fish products by a highly unsaturated vegetable oil, linseed oil. The fishy flavor is present in the roasted, freshly slaughtered turkey and apparently increases very little if any in intensity during storage.