Antioxidative mechanisms of tea catechins in chicken meat systems

Abstract The effects of dietary tea catechins (TC) supplementation at levels of 50 (TC50), 100 (TC100) 200 (TC200), and 300 (TC300) mg/kg feed on oxidative stability and on protection of α-tocopherol (VE) in long-term frozen stored (−20 °C×12 months) chicken breast and thigh meat were investigated. Dietary TC (TC200) showed inhibiting effects on lipid oxidation equivalent to dietary α-tocopheryl acetate (VEA200) for long-term frozen stored chicken meat. The level of VE in long-term stored frozen chicken meat from TC dietary treatments (TC50, TC100, TC200 and TC300) was significantly ( P 2+ -chelating and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) free radical-scavenging were also examined. Added TC showed significantly ( P 2+ , TC showed strong scavenging capacity for the DPPH free radical. The strong free radical-scavenging ability plus the iron-chelating effects of TC provide a plausible mechanism for the antioxidant effects of added TC in the in vitro meat system.