The eects of dietary tea catechins (TC) supplementation at levels of 50 (TC 50), 100 (TC 100), 200 (TC 200), and 300 (TC 300 mg kg1 feed on susceptibility of chicken breast meat, thigh meat, liver and heart to iron-induced lipid oxidation were investigated Day old chicks (n=200) were randomly divided into six groups. Chicks were fed diets containing either basal (C), or-tocophery acetate supplementation at a level of 200 mg kg1 feed (VE 200), or TC supplementation for 6 weeks prior to slaughter. Lipi oxidation was assessed by monitoring malondialdehyde formation with 2-thiobarbituric acid (TBA) assay. TC supplementation a all levels exerted antioxidative eects for all tissues with the exception of 50mg kg1 feed for breast meat. TC supplementation a levels of 200 and 300mg/kg1 feed were found to be significantly (P<0.05) more eective in retarding lipid oxidation in all tissues compared to the control. TC supplementation at a level of 300mg kg1 feed was also found to be significantly (P<0.05) superior tvitamin E supplementation at a level of 200mg kg1 feed (VE 200) for oxidative stability in chicken thigh meat, but it was inferio to VE 200 in chicken liver and heart. TC supplementation at a level of 50 mg kg1 feed was found to be pro-oxidative in breas meat, but this did not occur in chicken thigh meat, liver and heart. The variation of TC antioxidative properties in dierent tissue may be explained by the uneven distribution of lipid, iron and TC accumulation in tissues. 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All right reserved.