Slaughtering process in different countries

There are many slaughter methods prevalent throughout the world are administered either by religions or cultures. This paper reviews the relevant aspects of ritual and traditional slaughter methods in different countries around the world. Ritualistic or religious slaughter often requires the animal to be in a state of consciousness at the time it is bled. According to the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) halal slaughtering process of an animal involves restraining, stunning (if used) and severing of trachea, esophagus and both the carotid arteries and jugular veins. In Shariah law, slaughtering is not a normal matter in which humans act independently as they wish,but it is rather a matter of worship which Muslims must adhere by in its provisions. It is important for scientists to understand that the main reason for the observance of the Islamic faith is to follow the Divine Orders. “Kosher” is the term applied to the procedures and techniques of slaughter as well as the products derived therefrom under the Jewish faith, if done according to the laws of the religion. In the Hebrew language, Kosher means fit to be used as food. The regulations governing Kosher slaughter are derived from Hebrew traditions. Under these the animals are to be fully conscious, killed and blend thoroughly by one clean stroke of the knife. Sikh Slaughter (Jhakta) process is practised mainly under Sikhism, a religious faith which is an offshoot of Hinduism centred in the Punjab, India. The method is limited only to sheep and goats (Cattle are regarded as sacred by Sikhs and Hindus and are therefore not eaten). In the process, the head of the animal is tied to a pole, the hind legs are stretched out and tied by hand to another pole on the opposite side. The head is chopped off with a single stroke of a heavy sharp blade. After this, the animal body is dressed for use. Slaughter process practicing in USA, Europe and China is that the stunned animals must be hanging by shackling below the hock of one hind leg and hoisting the animal (head down) before bleeding. The actual bleeding operation is made by sticking or inserting the sticking knife through the neck behind the jaw bone and below the first neck bone to let out blood. The noticeable feature of African traditional slaughter is that the sheep or goat is first securely held on its back on the ground by two or three men while the mouth is grabbed tight and drawn backwards to stretch the neck. The slaughterer then cuts the throat with a series of strokes half-way deep into the neck. Blood is allowed to drain off until the animal (still tightly held) is motionless or dies. Ritualistic slaughter procedure cannot change but may be modified, yet the other procedures mostly which is practiced in the developed countries can changed

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

Effects of dietary inorganic iodine and selenium on their concentrations in serum, muscle and organs in Kacang goats

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of supplementing inorganic Selenium (Se), Iodine (I) and combination of both on their concentrations in serum, skeletal muscle and organs of 24 local Kacang crossbred meat goats. Four dietary treatments of six goats each were randomly allotted to basal diet without supplementation (background only) as control (Tl), basal diet + 0.6 mg Se kg-1 DM (T2), basal diet + 0.6 mg I kg-1 DM(T3) or basal diet with combination of 0.6 mg Se + 0.6mg I kg-1 DM(T4) for 100 consecutive days. Serum samples were collected at days 0, 30, 60 and 95 for the determination of Se and I concentrations. Semitendinosus (ST) muscle, liver and kidney were also collected, vacuum packaged and stored frozen until assayed for the Se and I levels. The levels of I and Se in the serum of supplemented groups (T2, T3 and T4) were significantly higher compared to control (Tl). In comparison with the control animals (Tl) I and Se concentrations in the ST muscle, kidney and liver were also higher (p<0.05) in the supplemented groups. The results demonstrated the potential of Se and I dietary supplementation employed in this study to increase the concentrations of both elements in the serum, muscle, liver and kidney of goats

Blood haematology, serum thyroid hormones and glutathione peroxidase status in Kacang goats fed inorganic iodine and selenium supplemented diets

The effects of dietary supplementation of selenium (Se), iodine (I), and a combination of both on the blood haematology, serum free thyroxine (FT4) and free triiodothyronine (FT3) hormones and glutathione peroxidase enzyme (GSH-Px) activity were examined on twenty four (7 to 8 months old, 22±1.17 kg live weight) Kacang crossbred male goats. Animals were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments (6 animals in each group). Throughout 100 d of feeding trial, the animals of control group (CON) received a basal diet, while the other three groups were offered basal diet supplemented with 0.6 mg/kg diet DM Se (SS), or 0.6 mg/kg diet DM I (PI), or a combination of both Se and I, each at 0.6 mg/kg diet DM (SSPI). The haematological attributes which are haemoglobin (Hb), red blood cell (RBC), packed cell volume (PCV), mean cell volume (MCV), white blood cells (WBC), band neutrophils (B Neut), segmented neutrophils (S Neut), lymphocytes (Lymph), monocytes (Mono), eosinophils (Eosin) and basophils (Baso) were similar among the four treatment groups, while serum levels of Se and I increased significantly (p<0.05) in the supplemented groups. The combined dietary supplementation of Se and I (SSPI) significantly increased serum FT3 in the supplemented animals. Serum GSH-Px activity increased significantly in the animals of SS and SSPI groups. It is concluded that the dietary supplementation of inorganic Se and I at a level of 0.6 mg/kg DM increased serum Se and I concentration, FT3 hormone and GSH-Px activity of Kacang crossbred male goats

Pre-rigor beef quality assessment of Bali cattle subjected to different finishing systems in Malaysia

The study was carried out in an attempt to assess meat quality of Bali cattle finished in 3 different systems. Twenty one bulls were selected from an existing herd under an oil palm plantation and randomly assigned to 120 days of feeding in; Integration-INT (n = 8), basal energy Feedlot-F (n = 6) and high energy Feedlot-FB (n = 7) System. All animals were humanely slaughtered at a commercial abattoir. Samples of Longissimus Dorsi (LD), Supra Spinatus (SS) and Semi Membranosus (SM) muscles were collected and prepared accordingly for the determinations of pH, cooking loss, shear force and color (L* and a*) values. The animals finished on Integration (TNT) demonstrated higher L* values (p<0.05) in SS muscle and lower L* values (p<0.05)inbothLD and SM muscles. Lower cooking losses (p<0.05) were observed in LD and SM muscles from the INT group. However, there was no difference in pH, a* (redness) and shear force values among the treatments and these were consistently shown in all three muscles. The results from this study demonstrate the influence of finishing system on Bali cattle meat quality

Effects of shackling and cone restraining on meat quality of broiler chickens slaughtered at two categories of live weight

A study was conducted to determine the effects of shackling and cone restraining methods on meat quality of broiler chickens slaughtered at two categories of live weight. Fourty Cobb 400 male broilers were randomly assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design with 10 birds of each treatment group. The birds were slaughtered at ≤2 kg and ≥2.5 kg live weights using shackling or cone restraining methods. Neither cone nor shackle restraining methods affected the pH change of both slaughter weights. Birds weighing ≤2 kg subjected to cone method had higher (P<0.05) a*, b* and lower (p<0.05) L*, drip loss, cooking loss and shear force than those subjected to shackle method. Birds weighing ≥2.5 kg subjected to cone method had higher (p<0.05) b* and lower (p<0.05) L* and cooking loss than those restrained with a shackle method. Results of shear force values, L*, a*, b*, and pH change were significantly higher (p<0.05) in ≥2.5 kg chickens compared with those ≤2 kg chickens using shackling restraining method

An evaluation on growth performance and carcass characteristics of integration (oil palm plantation) and feedlot finished Bali cattle

The objective of this study was to evaluate the differences in growth performance and carcass characteristics of Bali cattle subjected to oil palm integration and two different feedlot finishing systems (basal vs. high energy). Eighteen, 24-30 months old male Bali cattle were involved in this study. The animals were randomly allotted into 3 feeding groups: Integration (INT), (n = 6 animals), Feedlot A (FA) with basal energy (n = 6 animals) and Feedlot B (FB) with high energy (n = 6 animals). The animals assigned to the integration system were allowed to graze on the native forages and legumes available under the oil palm plantation. The basal energy diet consisted of 5 kg Palm Kernel Cake (PKC) pellets + ad libitum corn stover and the high energy diet which consisted of 5 kg Palm Kernel Cake (PKC) pellets + ad libitum corn stover + 400 g calcium soap of palm oil fatty acids (Megalac®, Volac International Limited, UK) were fed to the animals in FA and FB, respectively. The feeding trial was conducted for 120 consecutive days excluding 3 weeks of adaptation period. The present data suggest that some of the growth parameters and carcass traits in Bali cattle can be enhanced through the feedlot finishing system

Changes of microbial spoilage, lipid-protein oxidation and physicochemical properties during post mortem refrigerated storage of goat meat

Examined was the effect of post mortem refrigerated storage on microbial spoilage, lipid-protein oxidation and physicochemical traits of goat meat. Seven Boer bucks were slaughtered, eviscerated and aged for 24 h. The Longissimus lumborum (LL) and Semitendinosus (ST) muscles were excised and subjected to 13 days post mortem refrigerated storage. The pH, lipid and protein oxidation, tenderness, color and drip loss were determined in LL while microbiological analysis was performed on ST. Bacterial counts generally increased with increasing aging time and the limit for fresh meat was reached at day 14 post mortem. Significant differences were observed in malondialdehyde (MDA) content at day 7 of storage. The thiol concentration significantly reduced as aging time increased. The band intensities of myosin heavy chain (MHC) and troponin-T significantly decreased as storage progressed, while actin remained relatively stable. After 14 days of aging, tenderness showed significant improvement while muscle pH and drip loss reduced with increase in storage time. Samples aged for 14 days had higher lightness (P < 0.05) and lower (P < 0.05) yellowness and redness. Post mortem refrigerated storage influenced oxidative and microbial stability and physico-chemical properties of goat meat

Carcase characteristics and meat quality assessments in goats subjected to slaughter without stunning and slaughter following different methods of electrical stunning

The study examined meat quality and carcase haemorrhage in goats subjected to different methods of pre-slaughter electrical stunning or slaughtered without stunning. Thirty-two Boer crossbred bucks were randomly assigned to low-frequency head-only (LFHO; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 50 Hz), low-frequency head-to-back (LFHB: 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 50 Hz) or high-frequency head-to-back (HFHB; 1 A for 3 s at a frequency of 850 Hz) pre-slaughter electrical stunning or slaughter without stunning (SWS). All the 32 animals were bled to drain excess blood from the carcase. The slaughter was performed by a licenced slaughter man by severing carotid artery, jugular vein, trachea and oesophagus. At 12 h post-mortem, LFHO, LFHB and HFHB had lower (p < .05) glycogen and higher lactate and glycolytic potential values than SWS. A faster (p < .05) rate of pH decline was found in LFHO, LFHB and HFHB compared to SWS. No physicochemical parameters except cooking loss differed between treatments. Cooking loss was higher (p < .05) in LFHO, LFHB and HFHB compared to SWS at 7 and 14 d post-mortem. Incidences of carcase haemorrhages in electrically stunned goats were higher than SWS. Nonetheless, HFHB had lower (p < .05) haemorrhages than LFHB and LFHO. Electrical stunning prior slaughter increased carcase haemorrhages and cooking loss but did not affect other meat quality traits in goats

Effects of iodine and selenium supplementation on growth, carcass characteristics and meat quality of crossbred Kacang goats)

Unlike in sheep and cattle, research work in relation with the effects of trace elements such as selenium (Se) and iodine (I) on metabolism and meat quality in goats are rather limited. In most parts of the world, there are still Se and I deficiencies which justify continuous efforts to fortify compound animal feeds with Se and I for the enhancement of growth and health of goats as well as an intervention to produce Se and I enriched meat and organs for human consumption. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of dietary supplementation of iodine, selenium and a combination of both at a level of 0.6mg/kg DM on growth performance, carcass characteristics, myosin heavy chain-slow and fast proteins distribution and meat quality of local Kacang crossbred male goats. A total of twenty four, 7 to 8 months old animals with a mean live weight of 22.00 ± 1.17 kg were randomly assigned to either one of four dietary treatments groups each consisting of 6 animals. The four dietary treatments were: T1 (control) – basal diet without supplementation; T2 – basal diet with 0.6 mg Se/kg DM; T3 – basal diet with 0.6 mg I/kg DM; T4 – basal diet with combination of 0.6 mg Se/kg DM and 0.6 mg I/kg DM. The inorganic selenium was given in the form of sodium selenite while inorganic iodine was in the form of potassium iodide. The basal diet offered was a concentrate mix based on palm kernel cake, corn and rice bran. The amount of concentrate offered was based on 1% of body weight with ad libitum amount of fresh guinea grass. After 100 days of feeding, the animals were slaughtered following which supraspinatus (SS), longissimus lumborum (LL), semitendinosus (ST) muscles were sampled from each carcass. Representative muscle samples were dissected at 3 specific periods, that is, immediately after evisceration (30 min), 24 h and 7 days post mortem to represent the unconditioned (pre-rigor), 1 day-conditioned (chilled) and 1 week-conditioned samples, respectively. The animals in T4 group indicated a higher total weight gain (p<0.05) and average daily weight gain (ADWG) (p<0.05) than the T1 and T2 animals. Significant improvement in the feed conversion ratio (FCR) was only noted in group T4 compared to the T1 (control) animals. In comparison with those of control, significant differences in carcass dressing percentage were presented by the T2, T3 and T4 animals. Results from this study indicated that serum of the animals subjected to T2, T3 and T4 were significantly higher (p<0.001) in Se and I concentrations than the control group. Furthermore, the increases (p<0.05) in total I and Se contents in the selected muscles (SS, LL and ST), liver and kidney of the supplemented goats have reflected positive response towards the dietary supplementations. Meanwhile, thyroid follicular epithelial cells height of the animals supplemented with I (T3) and combination of I and Se (T4) were significantly greater than those of control (T1) and Se supplemented (T2) groups. Besides, free triiodothyronine (FT3) of the animals supplemented with combination of I and Se (T4) was higher (p<0.05) than the animals supplemented with I (T3) alone. However, the dietary supplementation of Se, I and their combination did not affect the distribution of myosin heavy chain- slow and fast proteins in the SS, LL and ST muscles. With regard to meat quality, lower (p<0.05) drip loss was indicated by the muscles of T2 and T4 animals. The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the muscles of all supplemented groups were significantly higher than the control group. The concentrations of malondialdehyde in SS, LL and ST muscles obtained from T2 and T4 animals were significantly lower than those of T1 and T3 at day 7 post mortem. Additionally, significantly higher activities of glutathione peroxidase enzyme in serum, liver and muscles (SS, LD and ST) were also exhibited by the T2 and T4 animals. Generally, the present study demonstrate