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| Effects of Different Slaughter Methods on Stress Reactions and Eating Quality in Mongolian Sheep |
| WANG Debao, WANG Xiaodong, GUO Tianlong, WANG Limei, NA Qin, ZHANG Yuanyuan, LI Hui, LIANG Junfang, ZHAI Xiu |
| Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China |
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Abstract A comparative study was done to investigate the effect of three different slaughter methods: neck-breaking, pulling the heart out of the chest of live animals and electrical stunning followed by ensanguination on stress reactions and eating quality in Mongolian sheep. The results showed that the concentrations of lactic acid and cortisol, and the activities of lactate idehydrogenase and creatine kinase in the blood of sheep slaughtered by the third method were significantly lower than in the blood of sheep slaughtered by the other two traditional slaughter methods, and the stress response at slaughter was also weaker. Compared with the other groups, the cooking loss of meat in the third group was lower whereas meat tenderness was better than that of the first group but did not significantly differ from that of the second group. In addition, redness value (a*) of the third group was higher and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs) value was lower than that of the other groups. From a nutritional viewpoint, the latter two slaughter methods could elevate the content of unsaturated fatty acids in mutton. Taking into consideration both the eating quality of mutton and economic benefits, electrical stunning followed by ensanguination can reduce stress reactions in sheep, improve the economic benefits of meat sheep slaughtering enterprises and meet the animal welfare requirements for slaughtering.
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2019, Vol. 33 
