Effect of low or high stress in pre-slaughter handling on pig carcass and meat quality

Abstract

-The objective of this study was to evaluate the consequences of low or high stress during pre-slaughter handling of pigs on their carcass and meat quality. Forty-four animals of a commercial lineage, with an average weight of 107.23±5.23 kg, were used. At lairage the animals were randomly divided into two groups, the least and the most stressed. At slaughter, during bleeding, blood samples were collected for later cortisol and lactate tests. Forty-five minutes after slaughter the initial pH of th carcasses was measured and samples of the semitendinosus muscle were collected for R-value calculation. After 24 hours of cooling, the final pH was measured, damage scores were assessed and samples of the longissimus dorsi muscle were collected to evaluate drip loss, liquid loss from defrosting and cooking, shear force, lipid oxidation, and color. The results were evaluated by analysis of variance and the means were compared by Tukey´s test. It was found that cortisol, lactate and R-value were lower and initial pH was higher for the least stressed animals, whereas the other parameters were not significantly affected. Thus, low stress in the pre-slaughter handling of pigs is effective in reducing stress and carcass damage, but has no effect on meat quality.

El cromo-levadura y la ractopamina afectan el perfil de ácidos grasos y la calidad de la carne en cerdos

“…El efecto de la suplementación con cromo para las pérdidas por goteo no fue consistente en este trabajo, ya que para el T3 se tuvo un efecto significativo (P<0,05), incrementando las pérdidas, mientras que para el T4, no se obtuvo efecto alguno. Algunas investigaciones realizadas con cromo no muestran ningún tipo de efecto de la suplementación sobre las pérdidas por goteo, mientras que en otros casos, se observa un efecto, pero positivo (Peres et al 2014). La retención de agua, la temperatura y el pH no tuvieron diferencia significativa en ninguno de los tratamientos (Tabla 4).…”

Interference of stress with the somatotropic axis in pigs – lights on new biomarkers

“…In the present study, CO 2 -stunning induced a significant increase of plasma glucose as a result of the high release of catecholamines such as adrenaline 42 . The stress response during slaughtering is influenced by breed-specific traits, pre-slaughter conditions such as handling or lairage time, and the type of stunning system 43 , 44 , which have to be considered for the evaluation of stress-associated biomarkers.…”

Blood haematology, muscle pH and serum cortisol changes in pigs with different levels of drip loss

“…The activation of the HPA axis regulates secretion of cortisol in response to stress [ 26 ]. Pigs handled with high stress at pre-slaughter had higher levels of cortisol compared with low stress [ 27 ]. Serum cortisol levels increased during the journey (3.47 μg/dL at loading and 8.52 μg/dL at unloading) but decreased during the lairage (6.96 μg/dL at exsanguination) [ 13 ].…”