Carcase characteristics and meat quality assessments in goats subjected to slaughter without stunning and slaughter following different methods of electrical stunning. Issue 3 (3rd July 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Sabow, Azad Behnan; Adeyemi, Kazeem Dauda; Idrus, Zulkifli; Meng, Goh Yong; Ab Kadir, Mohd Zainal Abidin; Kaka, Ubedullah; Aghwan, Zeiad Amjad; Abubakar, Ahmed Abubakar; Sazili, Awis Qurni
• Is Part Of: Italian journal of animal science. Volume 16:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 416
• Page End: 430
• Publication Date: 2017-07-03
• Subjects: Current frequency -- electrical stunning -- goats -- haemorrhage -- meat quality; Animal culture -- Periodicals; Livestock -- Italy -- Periodicals; Veterinary medicine -- Italy -- Periodicals; Animal culture; Livestock; Veterinary medicine; Italy; Periodicals; Periodicals; 636.005
• DOI: 10.1080/1828051X.2017.1291287
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1828-051X

Abstract

Abstract: The study examined meat quality and carcase haemorrhage in goats subjected to different methods of pre-slaughter electrical stunning or slaughtered without stunning. Thirty-two Boer crossbred bucks were randomly assigned to low-frequency head-only (LFHO; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 50 Hz), low-frequency head-to-back (LFHB: 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 50 Hz) or high-frequency head-to-back (HFHB; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 850 Hz) pre-slaughter electrical stunning or slaughter without stunning (SWS). All the 32 animals were bled to drain excess blood from the carcase. The slaughter was performed by a licenced slaughter man by severing carotid artery, jugular vein, trachea and oesophagus. At 12 h post-mortem, LFHO, LFHB and HFHB had lower ( p < .05) glycogen and higher lactate and glycolytic potential values than SWS. A faster ( p < .05) rate of pH decline was found in LFHO, LFHB and HFHB compared to SWS. No physicochemical parameters except cooking loss differed between treatments. Cooking loss was higher ( p < .05) in LFHO, LFHB and HFHB compared to SWS at 7 and 14 d post-mortem. Incidences of carcase haemorrhages in electrically stunned goats were higher than SWS. Nonetheless, HFHB had lower ( p < .05) haemorrhages than LFHB and LFHO. Electrical stunning prior slaughter increased carcase haemorrhages and cooking loss but did not affect other meat quality traits in goats.