Volatile components associated with freshly cooked and oxidized off-flavours in turkey breast meat

Cooked turkey breast is particularly susceptible to lipid oxidation-mediated off-flavour development during refrigerated storage. Volatile aroma compounds present in freshly cooked turkey breast muscle after cooling in air and under nitrogen, and also those in air-cooled meat stored for 3 days at 4degreesC, were examined using headspace solid phase microextraction (SPME) combined with gas chromatography -mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Odour-port sensory assessment of the separated volatiles was carried out, using a modified form of aroma extract dilution analysis (AEDA). Compared to weakly aromatic nitrogen-cooled turkey breast, the levels of a number of unsaturated carbonyl compounds were much higher in freshly cooked air-cooled samples and showed further large increases in the oxidized chilled meat, Among these, the most potent odour contributors to both fresh and oxidized turkey samples were 1-octen-3-one, (E,E)-2,4-decadienal and (E,Z)-2,6-nonadienal. The concentration of the only moderately potent sulphur-containing compound identified, viz. 2-pentylthiophene, was significantly lower in the oxidized compared to the fresh samples, and gas chromatography -olfactometry (GCO) suggested that this compound made a contribution to the aroma of freshly cooked turkey. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.