Electrical stimulation of deer carcasses

Abstract

Farmed red deer slaughtered in a deer slaughter plant have been used to determine the influence of processing practices on the tenderness of venison. Carcasses from some animals were electrically stimulated with low voltage (80V peak unidirectional half sine-wave pulses of 10 ms duration) for a 90p eriod 30 s after sticking. Other carcasses were not stimulated and were used as controls. Portions of the loin muscle were either chilled rapidly at 2 h postmortem, held for 48 h (24 h 10°C, 24 h 2°C), or for 72 h (24 h 10°C, 48 h 2°C) to condition and then commence aging. The meat from non stimulated carcasses that was chilled at 2 h postmortem was very tough, but conditioning prevented toughening due to cold shortening and gave a lower force score and the brief aging at 2°C further reduced the toughness. Electrical stimulation, by hastening the development of rigor mortis, produced a 'conditioned' level of tenderness in meat which was rapidly chilled at 2 h postmortem. Holding for 48 h (24 h 10°C, 24 h 2°C) allowed completion of rigor and commencement of aging so that tenderness was further improved. Further aging lowered the force score even more.

Game and venison – meat for the modern consumer

“…Studies have also focused on some of the interactions between muscle glycogen and technological meat quality attributes (Wiklund, Manley, & Littlejohn, 2004). Some of the post-mortem interventions that have been utilised to improve quality attributes (mainly meat tenderness) include electrical stimulation (Chrystal & Devine, 1983;Wiklund, Stevenson-Barry, Duncan, & Littlejohn, 2001b) combined with ageing (Drew, Crosbie, Forss, Manley, & Pearse, 1988). The technique of pelvic suspension (''tenderstreching'') of the carcass resulting in positive effects on tenderness in several valuable cuts from fallow deer carcasses have been reported (Sims, Wiklund, Hutchison, Mulley, & Littlejohn, 2004).…”