The aim of this work was to study the influence of lipid oxidation on broiler breast meat (Pectoralis major m) color abnormalities. There were 27.0 % more lipid oxidation in PSE in relation to normal meat and 41.0 % more in relation to DFD-like meat (p<0.05). The fatty acid profile was also significantly different since the arachidonic acid (AA) fraction increased 38.6 and 70.5 % in PSE meat comparing to normal and DFD-like meats, respectively. The ratio PUFA/SFA changed in these three types of meat: 0.736, 0.713 and 0.694 for PSE, normal and DFD-like meat respectively, reflecting the highest production of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the PSE meat samples. Results indicated that phospholipase A2 enzyme activities played a relevant role towards the development of PSE-meat syndrome in a cascade of biochemical reactions promoting the formation of free radicals from AA, which ultimately damaged the muscle membrane systems.
PSE meat; DFD meat; arachidonic acid
