Comparison of carcass and meat quality in goats subjected to preslaughter head-only electrical stunning or slaughtered without stunning

The effects of slaughter without stunning in comparison with head-only electrical stunning (HOES) on carcass hemorrhages and meat quality in goats were evaluated. Sixteen Boer crossbred bucks were subjected to either non-stun (NS) or HOES (1 A, for 3 s at 50 Hz). Meat quality traits such as pH, water holding capacity (WHC), color, tenderness, myofibril fragmentation index (MFI) and sarcomere length were assessed on semitendinosus (ST) muscle, while the incidences of hemorrhage were morphologically examined on shoulders and legs of each carcass. The results indicate no differences (p > 0.05) in meat quality traits between NS and HOES goats. However, carcasses obtained from the head-only electrically stunned goats had higher (p < 0.05) incidence of hemorrhages than those slaughtered without stunning. HOES prior slaughter increased carcass hemorrhages without adversely affecting meat quality traits in goats

Effects of dietary oil blend on fatty acid composition, oxidative stability and physicochemical properties of Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle in goats

This study examined the effects of dietary blend of 80% canola oil and 20% palm oil (BCPO) on the physicochemical properties, antioxidant status, oxidative stability and fatty acid composition of Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscle from goats during chill storage. Over a 14-week feeding trial, 24 Boer bucks were randomly assigned to and supplemented with diets containing 0, 4 or 8% BCPO on a dry matter basis, slaughtered and the LTL was subjected to a 7 day chill storage. Neither diet nor post mortem ageing influenced (P > 0.05) antioxidant enzyme activities, chemical composition and cholesterol. Diet had no effect on the carbonyl content, free thiol content, water-holding capacity, tenderness, pH and glycogen. Oil-supplemented goats had higher (P 0.05) changes were found in the proportion of individual fatty acids throughout storage. Total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) decreased while total saturated fatty acids increased as storage progressed. Dietary BCPO enhanced n-3 PUFA without compromising the quality attributes of chevon

Myofibrillar protein profile of Pectoralis major muscle in broiler chickens subjected to different freezing and thawing methods

The study examined the protein profile of Pectoralis major muscle in broiler chickens subjected to different freezing and thawing methods. Pectoralis major muscle was excised from the carcasses of twenty broiler chickens and split into left and right halves. The left half was subjected to slow freezing (-20°C) while the right half was rapidly frozen (-80°C). The samples were stored at their respective temperature for 2 weeks and assigned to either of tap water (27°C, 30 min), room temperature (26°C, 60 min), microwave (750W, 10 min) or chiller (4°C, 6 h) thawing. Changes in myofibrillar proteins following the thawing methods were monitored through sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The electrophoretic profile indicated differences (p < 0.05) in intensities of the components of myofibrillar proteins among the thawing methods in both slow and rapidly frozen samples. Chiller thawing had significantly higher (p < 0.05) protein concentration than other methods in rapidly frozen samples. However, in slow freezing, there were no significant differences in protein concentration among the thawing methods. In rapidly frozen samples, the protein optical densities at molecular weight of 21, 27, 55 and 151kDa in tap water, chiller and room temperature thawing did not differ (p < 0.05). Similarly, in slowly frozen samples, protein optical densities at molecular weight of 21, 27, 85 and 151 kDa were not significantly different among chill, tap water and room temperature thawing. Microwave thawing consistently caused higher protein degradation resulting in significantly lower (p < 0.05) protein quality and quantity in both freezing methods

Effect of Parkia biglobosa husk extracts and honey blend on the chemical, sensory and bacterial attributes of traditional West African soft cheese

This study examined the effect of Parkia biglobosa (Locust bean) husk extract and honey blend on the chemical, sensory and bacterial qualities of traditional West African soft cheese. In this study, soft cheese was treated with blends of honey and ethanol extract of P. biglobosa husk at varied levels of 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4% (being percentages of the milk used) for both of the components immediately after coagulation. Seven (7) treatments were studied in a completely randomized design and assessment of the proximate composition and sensory attributes of the cheese was done. The Total Bacterial Count (TBC) was also monitored throughout a five days period. The result revealed that the control cheese was highest in moisture, and ash, but lower in cheese fat content. General acceptability was highest for the cheese curds fortified at 1:3, 2:2 and 3:1 % Honey/P. biglobosa. The 3/1: Honey/P. biglobosa treated cheese showed the highest inhibition rate against bacterial growth. The treatments fortified with 1:3, 2:2 and 3:1 % Honey/P. biglobosa also had the lowest TBC for the days of microbial assay. Seratia odonrifera and Seratia liqueficiens were prominently identified at days 2 and 4 of storage. The study recommend the use of 1:3 , 2:2 and 3/1 % Honey/ P. biglobosa cheese curd fortification as an improvement of the nutritional, sensory and bacterial attributes of West African soft cheese

Skeletal muscle proteome and meat quality of broiler chickens subjected to gas stunning prior slaughter or slaughtered without stunning

The study examined the effects of pre-slaughter gas stunning and slaughter without stunning on meat quality and skeletal muscle proteome of broiler chickens. Fifty Cobb broiler chickens were randomly assigned to either a neck cut without pre-slaughter stunning (Halal slaughter) or pre-slaughter gas stunning followed by a neck cut. Samples of Pectoralis major muscle at 7 min, 4 h and 24 h postmortem were analyzed for pH, shear force, color, drip and cooking losses. Proteome profile of the 7 min samples was examined by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Birds subjected to Halal slaughter had higher (P < 0.05) redness than those gas stunned at 4 and 24 h postmortem. Gas-stunned birds had lower (P < 0.05) muscle pH and shear force and higher (P < 0.05) drip and cooking losses compared with those subjected to Halal slaughter throughout postmortem storage. Gas stunning up-regulated (P < 0.05) the expression of beta-enolase, pyruvate kinase and creatine kinase compared with Halal slaughter. Results indicate that pre-slaughter gas stunning hastened postmortem energy metabolism and had detrimental effects on the water holding capacity and redness of broiler breast muscles

Carcass traits, meat yield and fatty acid composition of adipose tissues and Supraspinatus muscle in goats fed blend of canola oil and palm oil

Background: Dietary fats can alter the deposition and distribution of body fats in ruminants. The deposition and distribution of body fat play a vital role in the quality of ruminant carcasses and are of great commercial value since they influence the profitability and consumer acceptability of ruminant meat. The current study examined the effects of dietary blend of 80 % canola oil and 20 % palm oil (BCPO) on carcass characteristics, meat yield and accretion of fatty acid (FA) in subcutaneous, omental, perirenal, and mesentery adipose depots and m. supraspinatus (SS) in goats. Methods: Twenty four Boer crossbred bucks (BW 20.54 ± 0.47 kg) were randomly assigned to diets containing on DM basis 0, 4 and 8 % BCPO, fed for 100 d and harvested. Results: Diet had no effect (P > 0.05) on slaughter weight, dressing percentage, carcass and non-carcass components, meat yield, color, moisture and carotenoid contents and weight of adipose tissues in goats. The proportion of C18:1n-9 and cis-9 trans-11 CLA in the omental, perirenal and SS was higher (P < 0.05) in goats fed 4 and 8 % BCPO compared with the control goats. Dietary BCPO reduced (P < 0.05) the proportion of C14:0 in the omental, perirenal and mesentery depots, C18:0 in the perirenal depot, C16:0 in the SS and C16:1n-7 in the SS, omental and perirenal tissues. Dietary BCPO enhanced the proportion of C18:1 trans-11 Vaccenic and C18:3n-3 in SS and C20:5n-3 in SS and mesentery depot. No significant changes were found in the FA composition of subcutaneous depot. Conclusions: Results indicate that dietary BCPO can be utilized to alter the FA composition of adipose tissues without detrimental effects on carcass characteristics in goats. Nonetheless, dietary BCPO is not an effective repartitioning agent for body fats in goats

Myofibrillar protein, lipid and myoglobin oxidation, antioxidant profile, physicochemical and sensory properties of Caprine longissimus thoracis during postmortem conditioning

The study examined the impact of refrigerated storage on antioxidant profile, oxidative changes in myoglobin, lipids and myofibrillar proteins and quality attributes of longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle from goats. Analyses were conducted on LT obtained from carcasses of sixteen Boer bucks on 0, 1, 5 and 10 days postmortem. Ageing had no effect on antioxidant enzyme activities. Concentration of tocopherols and total carotenoids decreased over storage. Myoglobin, metmyoglobin reducing activity, redness and shear force decreased while metmyoglobin content and drip loss increased over storage. Free thiol decreased while carbonyls and TBARS increased over storage. The relative density of myosin heavy chain, actin and troponin T and the concentration of n−6 and n−3 fatty acids were stable until day 5 but declined afterward. Tocopherol and carotenoid were correlated (P < 0.05) with oxidative changes. Ageing did not affect consumer preference for juiciness, flavor and overall acceptability. However, preference for tenderness increased over storage

Effect of belimbing buluh (Averrhoa bilimbi) juice extract on oxidative stability and microbiological quality of spent chicken meat

This study evaluated the effects of Averrhoa bilimbi juice extract and storage temperature on lipid oxidation and microbial spoilage of spent chicken meat. Ten, 80 weeks old spent chickens were slaughtered, eviscerated and aged for 24 h at 4°C. Thereafter, the Pectoralis major muscles and right thighs were excised and marinated in either A. bilimbi juice extract, pure distilled water, or no marination (control) for either 4 or 9 h at room temperature or 9 or 24 h at 4°C. Lipid oxidation was monitored on the Pectoralis major muscles while the right thighs were assessed for Enterobacteriacea counts. Lipid oxidation was not significantly affected by the type or duration of marination. Marination showed a temperature dependent effect on Enterobacteriacea counts. At room temperature, samples that were marinated by distilled water showed significantly higher Enterobacteriacea counts than the control while those that were marinated with A. bilimbi juice extract showed no growth at both 4 and 9 h of marination. At chilled temperature, marination had no significant effects on the growth of Enterobacteriacea during the 9 or 24 h storage. These results indicated that A. bilimbi juice extract marinade has some antibacterial activities but works better when combined with refrigerated storage

Fatty acid composition, cholesterol and antioxidant status of infraspinatus muscle, liver and kidney of goats fed blend of palm oil and canola oil

The study assessed the lipid profile, cholesterol and antioxidant status of infraspinatus muscle, kidney and liver from goats supplemented with increasing levels of blend of 20% palm oil and 80% canola oil. Twenty-four Boer bucks were randomly assigned to diets containing 0, 4 and 8% oil blend, fed for 100 d and slaughtered. The tissues were subjected to 7 d postmortem storage at 4 °C. Diet did not affect total lipid and cholesterol content in the tissues. The proportions of C14:0 in infraspinatus muscle and kidney, and C15:0 in all tissues were lower (p < 0.05) while the proportion of C18:3n:3 was greater in supplemented goats than the control goats. Proportion of C18:1n-9 in infraspinatus muscle was higher (p < 0.05) in goats fed oil blend than the control goats. The liver and the infraspinatus muscle of the control goats had higher C18:1 trans-10 but lower C18:1 trans-11 compared with those fed other diets. Diet had no effect on catalase, superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities, and the concentration of γ and δ-tocopherol and lipid oxidation in all tissues. The concentrations of α-tocopherol and total carotenoid were greater in the tissues of oil-fed goats compared with the control goats. Regardless of tissue, the catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were stable throughout storage. Lipid oxidative stability, glutathione peroxidase activity, tocopherol and carotenoid contents in the tissues decreased (p < 0.05) as postmortem storage progressed. Dietary 20% palm oil and 80% canola oil blend modified the fatty acids in goat meat and offal without compromising their oxidative stability

Impact of chill storage on antioxidant status, lipid and protein oxidation, color, drip loss and fatty acids of semimembranosus muscle in goats

The study examined the effect of refrigerated storage on antioxidant activities, lipid and protein oxidation, fatty acids (FAs), drip loss and color of semimembranosus (SM) muscle from goats. Samples of SM were obtained from carcasses of 15 Boer bucks (7 months old; body weight, 32.18 ± 0.81 kg) subjected to an 8 d storage at 4°C. Superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activities were stable while carotenoid, tocopherol, water holding capacity and redness declined (P 0.05) from 14.00 to 13.08 density/mm2. The concentrations of n-3 and n-6 FA decreased while the saturated FA increased over storage. Correlations (P < 0.05) were found between antioxidant vitamins and quality indicators of chevon