Objective of this work was to evaluate the protective effect of vitamin E on the cooked ham. Ninety-six pigs (LW X L X P), forty-eight barrows and forty-eight gilts were divided in four randomized blocks. Each block received four treatments: a control diet, diets formulated with 100 mg, with 200 mg and with 400 mg of vitamin E/kg diet. The average cholesterol values in cooked ham were 46.53 ± 0.47 mg/100g. However, a reduction of 30% was observed in samples of supplemented diets with 400 mg of vitamin E/kg. During shelf-life of the cooked ham was observed a reduction in the cholesterol levels, with the associated production of cholesterol oxides. The cholesterol oxides observed were: cholesta-4,6-dien-3-one; 20alpha-hydroxycolesterol; 24-hydroxycholesterol, and 25-hidroxycholesterol. Supplementation of 200 mg of vitamin E/kg or more maintained the cholesterol oxides values below 10 µg/g during the 116 days before slaughter.
Cholesta-4,6-dien-3-one; 20alpha-hydroxycolesterol; 24-hydroxycholesterol
