Tocopherols in Chicken Breast and Leg Muscles Determined by Reverse Phase Liquid Chromatography

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tocopherols were extracted from broiler muscles with hexane after saponification and determined by reverse phase liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Both alpha‐ and gamma‐ tocopherols were found in both breast and leg muscles, raw or cooked. Mean recovery values were alpha‐ 91.2% and gamma‐tocopherols 94.2%. Leg meat contained almost twice as much total tocopherols as breast meat. This favorable distribution of tocopherols may be significant in retarding oxidative changes of cooked leg tissues during post‐cooking storage. Cooking had no significant effect on retention of tocopherols on a dry weight basis for breast or leg meat.