Effects of trailer design on animal welfare parameters and carcass and meat quality of three Pietrain crosses being transported over a long distance

AbstractProcedures that result in poor welfare of animals are unacceptable to many people. Consumers have become demanding about the quality of meat, but are also concerned about animal welfare during the production, transport, and slaughter stages. There is a well-known, clear relationship between animal welfare and the quality of animal products. Improper handling of farmed animals contributes to low meat quality. This rule refers to all animals raised for meat, including rabbits. Fasting, loading for transport, long distance transport in difficult environmental conditions, improper stocking density, lying down during transport, lairage, and stunning methods may negatively affect the quality of rabbit meat. A general conclusion from reviewed scientific articles is that many pre-slaughter factors influence the physiological and productive measurements of rabbits, through the effect on their welfare. Because of the complexity of the rabbit meat production chain, the possibility of excluding all the defined stressors is limited.

Download Full-text

Meat quality, biosecurity, and animal welfare: consequences of an inefficient inspection

Journal of Food Safety and Hygiene ◽

10.18502/jfsh.v6i4.7568 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Patricia Tatemoto ◽

Vanessa Louise Santos Oliveira ◽

David Attuy Vey da Silva ◽

Marco Túlio Costa Almeida

Keyword(s):

Animal Welfare ◽

Meat Quality ◽

Synergetic Effect ◽

Biodiversity Loss ◽

Longissimus Dorsi Muscle ◽

Global Environmental ◽

Technological Defects ◽

Two Parameters ◽

Livestock Systems

In livestock, biosecurity, animal welfare and meat quality have a synergetic effect on the final product. To meet minimal safety and humane production, it is necessary to consider biosecurity risks and procedures to mitigate animal welfare problems. Following guidelines to achieve it, the meat quality improves consequently. Here we tested two parameters regarding the meat quality of beef cattle to understand how the poor inspection affects the quality of the final product. Therefore, 12 samples of the longissimus dorsi muscle were evaluated from different butcheries, using fresh meat recently received by the supplier. There were no sanitary inspection records related to the sampled meat. The results showed a large percentage of PSE (pale, soft, and exudative) and DFD (dark, firm, and dry) meats. Given the pH and color values, it is concluded that the slaughtering was not carried out properly. Hence, technological defects in the meat were observed, making it inappropriate for consumption. We concluded that inefficient pre-slaughter handling is compromising animal welfare, increasing the biosecurity risk, and impairing the quality of the final product. We argue that these problems not only decrease the sustainability of livestock systems, but also compromises human health. Currently, livestock plays an important role in global environmental concerns, such as climate change, land degradation, water pollution and biodiversity loss. Then, it is needed to reduce the waste of such products.

Download Full-text

Main Factors Affecting Animal Welfare and Meat Quality in Lambs for Slaughter in Chile

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani8100165 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 8 (10) ◽

pp. 165 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Carmen Gallo ◽

Juan Tarumán ◽

Cristian Larrondo

Keyword(s):

Animal Welfare ◽

Meat Quality ◽

Production Systems ◽

Animal Origin ◽

Long Distance ◽

Factors Affecting ◽

Long Distance Transport ◽

The People ◽

Sheep Production ◽

Quality Of Products

Consumers have become increasingly demanding about the quality of products of animal origin, particularly regarding animal welfare during production, transport, and slaughter. The aim of the present study was to review the factors affecting the welfare of lambs for slaughter in Chile and show the implications on meat quality. Rounding up and driving the lambs from the fields in large extensive production systems and long distance transport through difficult geographical routes affect the blood variable indicators of stress and reduces muscle glycogen reserves, increasing the risk of high pH of meat. In small farmer sheep production conditions there is a lack of appropriate installations for loading/unloading and deficiencies in vehicle structure specific for lambs; this together with the work of untrained handlers results in a high percentage of mortality and bruised carcasses, compared to European studies. These problems are common for other South American countries and should be addressed firstly by educating and training all the people involved in the lamb meat chain regarding animal welfare. In Chile there is legislation, ongoing since 2013, regarding the protection of animals during production, transport, and slaughter, including compulsory training of animal handlers and livestock transporters, which should improve animal welfare and meat quality.

Download Full-text

Animal Welfare and Meat Quality Assessment in Gas Stunning during Commercial Slaughter of Pigs Using Hypercapnic-Hypoxia (20% CO2 2% O2) Compared to Acute Hypercapnia (90% CO2 in Air)

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10122440 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (12) ◽

pp. 2440

Author(s):

Sophie Atkinson ◽

Bo Algers ◽

Joaquim Pallisera ◽

Antonio Velarde ◽

Pol Llonch

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Quality Assessment ◽

Animal Welfare ◽

Electric Conductivity ◽

Meat Quality ◽

Behavioral Indicators ◽

Slaughter Pigs ◽

Hypercapnic Hypoxia ◽

Carbon Dioxide Co2

This study assessed aversion, stunning effectiveness, and product quality of nitrogen and carbon dioxide (CO2) mixtures used for stunning pigs. A total of 1852 slaughter pigs divided into two similar batches was assessed during routine slaughter in a Swedish commercial abattoir using either hypercapnic-hypoxia (20% CO2 and less than 2% O2; 20C2O) or hypercapnia (90% CO2; 90C) gas mixtures. Behavioral indicators of aversion and discomfort were recorded. After exposure, the stunning quality was assessed through brainstem reflexes. After slaughter, the pH and electric conductivity of carcasses were assessed to estimate the incidence of pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) pork, and the presence of ecchymosis were inspected. Compared to 90C, pigs exposed to 20C2O showed a later (p < 0.05) onset of behaviors indicative of aversion, and a lower (p < 0.01) incidence of breathlessness. However, unconsciousness (i.e., losing posture) appeared earlier (p < 0.01) in 90C compared to 20C2O. In 90C, all (100%) pigs were adequately stunned, whereas in 20C2O a 7.4% of pigs showed signs of poor stunning, especially when oxygen concentrations were >2% (p < 0.001). The percentage of PSE carcasses was higher (p < 0.01) in 20C2O than 90C. In conclusion, compared to 90C, 20C2O reduced aversion and discomfort but showed lower stun effectiveness, especially when O2 was above 2%, and a slightly poorer pork quality.

Download Full-text

Effects of transport stress and rest before slaughter on blood parameters and meat quality of ducks

Canadian Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.4141/cjas-2014-017 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 94 (4) ◽

pp. 595-600 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zhen Zhu ◽

Yang Chen ◽

Zhengyang Huang ◽

Yang Zhang ◽

Qi Xu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Creatine Kinase ◽

Glutathione Peroxidase ◽

Meat Quality ◽

Blood Parameters ◽

Protein Carbonyl ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Long Distance ◽

Rest Time ◽

Transport Stress

Zhu, Z., Chen, Y., Huang, Z., Zhang, Y., Xu, Q., Tong, Y., Zhai, F., Chang, G. and Chen, G. 2014. Effects of transport stress and rest before slaughter on blood parameters and meat quality of ducks. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 94: 595–600. Ducks have been transported to be slaughtered at centralized locations since the 2013 avian influenza A (H7N9) epidemics in China. It is unavoidable that a certain amount of stress will occur during the transportation. We investigated the effects of transport stress and rest before slaughter on blood parameters and meat quality in ducks. Pekin ducks (42 d old) were randomly divided into six groups. Each group had five replicates, with four ducks in each replicate. The experimental design included the variables transport time and rest time before slaughter. Transport distance categories were short-distance (1 h transport; n=20), medium-distance (2 h transport; n=20) and long-distance (3 h transport; n=20) transport. Rest time was categorized as short (0.5 h; n=20) or long (2 h; n=20) periods of rest. Blood samples and meat samples were collected after transport or after the post-transport rest period. Blood indicators (triiodothyronine, thyroxine, insulin, glutamic-pyruvic transaminase, aspartate transaminase, creatine kinase, and glutathione peroxidase) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits. Meat quality characteristics (meat component, pH, malondialdehyde, and protein carbonyl) were also measured. Triiodothyronine, thyroxine, aminotransferase, glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase, creatine kinase, glutathione peroxidase, pH, malondialdehyde, and protein carbonyl values changed significantly in ducks exposed to the medium-distance transport treatment. Stress indicators improved and meat quality returned to normal by the end of a 2-h pre-slaughter rest. These results indicate that a 2-h transport causes serious stress in ducks. A 2-h rest before slaughter mitigates these adverse effects.

Download Full-text

Effect of the duration of road transport on the physiology and meat quality of lambs

Animal Production Science ◽

10.1071/an13024 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 54 (2) ◽

pp. 179 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Antoni Dalmau ◽

Antonio Di Nardo ◽

Carolina Eva Realini ◽

Pedro Rodríguez ◽

Pol Llonch ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Animal Welfare ◽

Meat Quality ◽

Blood Urea Nitrogen ◽

Salivary Cortisol ◽

Shear Force ◽

Road Transport ◽

Serum Biochemistry ◽

Urea Nitrogen ◽

Cortisol Metabolites

To assess the effect of transport duration on animal welfare and meat quality of lambs, two trials were performed: Forty Ile-de-France × Merino lambs were used in Trial 1 and 40 Comisana lambs in Trial 2. In both trials, the lambs, aged between 14 and 16 weeks, were divided into two groups of 20 animals. One group was subjected to a 1-h period of transportation (T1) and the other to a 24-h period of transportation (T24), both in the same truck and arriving to the same slaughterhouse at the same time. The effect of transport on serum biochemistry variables (cortisol, aspartate transaminase, lactate dehydrogenase, blood urea nitrogen, creatine kinase, creatinine and total proteins), salivary cortisol, metabolites of cortisol in faeces, intra-ruminal temperature and meat quality (pH, conductivity, expressible juice, colour and shear force) was assessed. In both studies, the duration of transport did not affect serum and salivary cortisol concentration (P > 0.05). However, in Trial 2, lambs exposed to 24-h transport had a higher concentration of faecal cortisol metabolites than did those transported for 1 h (P < 0.05). Blood variables were not affected by transport in either trial (P > 0.05), with the exception of blood urea nitrogen which was higher in Trial 1 for the T24 group (P < 0.05) than it was to T1 group. Although no signs of dehydration were found, intra-ruminal loggers showed that animals did not drink during the transportation in the way they did before transport. In Trial 1, no effect of transport duration was found on meat-quality traits (P > 0.05). Nevertheless, in Trial 2, lambs exposed to 24-h transport had higher values of colour attribute of a* (red trend) and less tenderness or higher values of shear force (P < 0.05). The present study showed that although there is little effect on meat quality, signs of stress are detectable in lambs transported for 24 h. Therefore, in the case of lambs, the effect of long transportation periods must be considered more in terms of animal welfare than in terms of product quality.

Download Full-text

MODERN CATTLE SLAUGHTERING TECHNOLOGY AND ITS MEAT QUALITY

Knowledge International Journal ◽

10.35120/kij3403667r ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 34 (3) ◽

pp. 667-671

Author(s):

Vlora Rama ◽

Elena Joshevska ◽

Vesna Karapetkovska Hristova

Keyword(s):

Animal Welfare ◽

Meat Quality ◽

Nutritional Value ◽

Poor Quality ◽

Modern Technology ◽

Chemistry Laboratory ◽

Technological Advancement ◽

Three Samples ◽

Meat Samples

Slaughter technology has changed dramatically over the past 30 years. Methods of handling the alive animal immediately prior to slaughter, methods of stunning, killing, early postmortem handling, and carcass treatment have all seen technological advancement. The primary factors driving changes in these technical aspects of cattle slaughter have been to increase efficiency of commercial operations and the improvement of carcass and meat quality. This research has been done with the aim of identifying the quality of meat, chemical composition and nutritional value of meat from animals slaughtered with modern technology. During this research we took three samples, at different points of the cattle carcass. Sample points are: 1. Spine; 2. Chest and 3. Thigh. The samples were taken fresh immediately after slaughter, while the distance from industry to laboratory was about 1 hour. The amount for a sample was about 300 gr.The samples were packaged with vacuum to avoid the contamination or any damage. The samples were analyzed in the chemistry laboratory at the Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency. Samples analysis was made by Food Scan with these parameters: protein, fat, moisture and collagen. Based on the above results, we see that the sample of spine is richer in protein and fat and the sample of chest is richer in moisture. In the sample of thigh, all parameters are lower than in two other samples. Since the Kosovo state doesn't have yet any official regulations for the limits of these parameters, based on the literature we have used, we see that the first sample exceed the value of the fat because by 5.2 it should have up to 4.8 based on the reference values, while the second and third samples exceed the value of moisture because by 74-76 it should have up to 70-73. However, exceeded values are minimal and we can’t say that the meat is of poor quality. At the end of the analysis, we have come to the conclusion that meat samples that we analyzed, although in some cases they had exceeded the limits, but were minimal. This makes us realize that the quality of the meat is good. If, at the end of the analysis, we would result in a concentration of moisture beyond the limits, or any other parameters, in that case we can say that is not good quality of meat.The reason why these three samples were taken for analysis is that we wanted to do the research of the quality of the meat at different points of the cattle carcass because as we know that is difficult to determine the quality of the whole carcass taking just one sample.Many factors may affect the nutritional content of the meat; one of many factors is animal welfare and stress before slaughter. The results obtained give us a conclusion that the animal had no stress before slaughter, animal welfare was respected and the meat is of good quality and has nutritional value.

Download Full-text