The effect of ethoxyquin and vitamin E supplementation on the display life of beef steaks

Steaks from cattle supplemented with 150 ppm ethoxyquin, an antioxidant, plus 150 or 250 IU of vitamin E per day, or 500 IU of vitamin E per day were evaluated for display life versus control steaks. Readings of a* indicated supplementation with vitamin E with or without ethoxyquin increased the display life of steaks compared with the controls. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were measured following 0, 3, and 7 d of retail display. All treatments had similar TBARS values on Day 0. On Days 3 and 7 control steaks had more lipid oxidation than the other treatments, with 500 IU of vitamin E having the least amount of oxidation. These data indicate supplementation with vitamin E improved the display life of steaks with no apparent interaction between vitamin E and ethoxyquin.