The thiobarbituric acid index (TBARS) was determined according to a method described elsewhere (Vyncke, 1970). TBARS is expressed as mg malonaldehyde/kg sample. A sample of 20 g of meat was homogenized with 100 mL of trichloroacetic acid 7.5 wt. % for 1min. The suspension was then filtered and 5mL of the filtrate were added to 5 mL of TBA reagent (0.02 M 2-thiobarbituric acid). The mixture was immersed in a boiling water bath for 40 min, then cooled with water and the absorbance was measured at 5nm in a UV–vis Helios Omega spectrophotometer (Thermo Scientific, USA).