Effect of dietary vitamin E, fishmeal and wood and liquid smoke on the oxidative stability of bacon during 16 weeksʹ frozen storage

Twelve (Large White×Landrace) gilts were randomly allotted in a 2×2 factorial design with the respective factor being dietary vitamin E (10 or 200 mg/kg feed) and dietary fishmeal (0 or 5%). Bacon was manufactured from the meat obtained from the animals after slaughter using wood smoke only or a combination of liquid and wood smoke. The oxidative stability of the bacon was examined over 16 weeks of frozen storage. Lipid oxidation in the product was measured by means of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and fluorescence shift. Dietary fishmeal supplementation increased lipid oxidation in bacon, while dietary vitamin E supplementation reduced lipid oxidation in the product. Lipid oxidation in frozen bacon was successfully reduced when bacon was manufactured from pigs fed a diet supplemented with or without 200 mg of α-tocopherol per kilogram of feed and processed with a combination of liquid and wood smoke. It is concluded that bacon processed with a combination of liquid and wood smoke was significantly less (P<0.001) susceptible to lipid oxidation than bacon processed with wood smoke only.