Bleeding efficiency and meat oxidative stability and microbiological quality of New Zealand white rabbits subjected to halal slaughter without stunning and gas stun-killing

A study was conducted to compare the effect of halal slaughter without stunning and gas stun killing followed by bleeding on residual blood content and storage stability of rabbit meat. Eighty male New Zealand white rabbits were divided into two groups of 40 animals each and subjected to either halal slaughter without stunning (HS) or gas stun-kill (GK). The volume of blood lost during exsanguination was measured. Residual blood was further quantified by determination of haemoglobin content in Longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle. Storage stability of the meat was evaluated by microbiological analysis and measuring lipid oxidation in terms of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS). HS resulted in significantly higher blood loss than GK. HS had significantly lower residual haemoglobin in LL muscle compared to GK. Slaughter method had no effect on rabbit meat lipid oxidation at 0, 1, and 3 d postmortem. However, at 5 and 8 days of storage at 4°C, significant differences (p<0.05) were found, with meat from the GK group exhibiting significantly higher levels of MDA than that from HS. At day 3, greater growth of Pseudomonas aeroginosa and E. coli were observed in the GK group (p<0.05) with B. thermosphacta and total aerobic counts remained unaffected by slaughter method. At days 5 and 7 postmortem, bacterial counts for all tested microbes were affected by slaughter method, with GK exhibiting significantly higher growth than HS. It can be concluded that slaughter method can affect keeping quality of rabbit meat, and HS may be a favourable option compared to GK due to high bleed out

Stunning and animal welfare from Islamic and scientific perspectives.

The transformation of an animal into pieces fit for human consumption is a very important operation. Rather than argue about halal slaughter without stunning being inhumane or stunning being controversial from the Islamic point of view, we discuss slaughter, stunning and animal welfare considering both Islamic and animal welfare legislation requirements. With the world Muslim population close to two billion, the provision of halal meat for the Muslim community is important both ethically and economically. However, from the animal welfare standard point of view, a number of issues have been raised about halal slaughter without stunning, particularly, about stressful methods of restraint and the latency of the onset of unconsciousness. This paper sets out to, discuss the methods of stunning that are acceptable by Islamic authorities, highlight the requirements for stunning to be acceptable in Islam and suggest practical ways to improve the humanness of slaughte

Medicinal plants used in Soran district Kurdistan region of Iraq, an ethnobotanicals study

The current study, the first of its type, focuses on the ethnobotanical uses of 97 medicinal plant species by the inhabitants in the Soran area, Kurdistan region of Iraq. Aims: To evaluate local knowledge of medicinal plants and provision of preliminary data on the user-benefit of the accessible plant species in the area. Methods: Between October 2021 and May 2022, key informant interviews were conducted as part of an ethnobotanical survey. Information about a particular study through face-to-face interviews with 171 participants (98 males and 73 females) were collected. For the therapeutic plants considered in the study, quantitative indices such as use value (UV), family use value (FUV), the relative frequency of citation (RFC), fidelity level (FL), and informant consensus factor (ICF) were applied in addition to detailed notes on each plant species. Results: The survey discovered 97 plant species and 41 plant families. Leaves were the plant portion that was used the most (44%) while seeds were the least (12%). The most popular three methods of preparation were decoction (52%), row (36%), and crushed (6%). The Olea europaea species had the highest use values (0.82), while Vitex agnus-castus had (0.005). Amaryllidaceae had the highest family use value (1.218), while Asteraceae had (0.005). According to the consensus index, Ficus carica and Datura stramonium had (140.84%) and (1.011%). The digestive tract disease category was shown to have the highest informant consensus factor value out of all disease categories (0.57), while the lowest value ICF was (0.0) for tooth pain. Conclusions: As a result of the development of natural medicines, this study gives information on the indigenous medicinal plants utilized in the Soran district to treat common illnesses that are ready for additional pharmacological and phytochemical examination. For better use of natural resources, the traditional use of plants requires conservation methods and additional research

Serum fatty acids, biochemical indices and antioxidant status in goats fed canola oil and palm oil blend

Abstract Background Dietary supplementation of unsaturated fats in ruminants, if not stabilized, can instigate oxidative stress which can have negative impact on production performance and enhance the susceptibility to various diseases. The current study examined the effect of dietary 80 % canola oil and 20 % palm oil blend (CPOB) on serum fatty acids, antioxidant profile and biochemical indices in goats. Thirty Boer bucks (4–5 months old; initial BW, 20.34 ± 0.77 kg) were randomly assigned to diets containing 0, 4 or 8 % CPOB and fed daily for a period of 90 days. Blood was sampled from the goats on 0, 30, 60 and 90 days of the trial and the serum was analyzed for fatty acids, cholesterol, glucose, total protein, antioxidants and lipid oxidation. Results Neither diet nor sampling time influenced serum TBARS value, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities, LDL cholesterol, VLDL cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose and total protein. Goats fed 4 and 8 % CPOB had higher (P < 0.05) total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol than the control goats on day 30, 60 and 90. The proportion of C15:0 decreased with increasing level of CPOB on day 30 and 60. Serum C18:1n-9 increased with increasing level of CPOB in diet on day 60. The proportion of C18:3n-3 and C22:5n-3 increased (P < 0.05), while the proportion of C18:2n-6 decreased (P < 0.05) with increase in the level of CPOB on day 60 and 90. Dietary CPOB did not affect serum total carotenoid and δ-tocopherol but did increase (P < 0.05) α and γ-tocopherol. Conclusion Dietary canola oil and palm oil blend could be supplemented in diets without instigating oxidative stress in goats

Abstracts of the International Halal Science Conference 2023

This book presents the extended abstracts of the selected contributions to the International Halal Science Conference, held on 22-23 August 2023 by the International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), IIUM, Malaysia in collaboration with Halalan Thayyiban Research Centre, University Islam Sultan Sharif (UNISSA), Brunei Darussalam. With the increasing global interest in halal products and services, this conference is timely. Conference Title:  International Halal Science ConferenceConference Acronym: IHASC23Conference Theme: Halal Industry Sustainability Through ScienceConference Date: 22-23 August 2023Conference Venue: International Islamic University (IIUM), MalaysiaConference Organizer: International Institute for Halal Research and Training (INHART), International Islamic University (IIUM), Malaysi