A balanced perspective on animal welfare for improved meat and meat products

Increased public concern for animal welfare in the logistics chain has led to a rise in the scrutiny of the treatment of food animals. Factors affecting the status of welfare of slaughter animals begin at the farm and occur during transportation and at the abattoir. The activities that animals pass through before slaughter are thought to have negative effects on both the animal and the product. Before or during this period, animals suffer pain, which compromises their physical, health and biochemical status, and meat quality and quantity; which leads to economic losses. Environmental impact plays a role in the behaviour, growth, development and welfare of animals, even though it is associated with the production of greenhouse gases and biodiversity. Food producers are also mindful of the challenges of feeding the ever-increasing human population. Although the issues of animal production, which range from the environment to human health, have been discussed, animal welfare-related factors that are at play in the production chain of farm animals must still be addressed. An understanding of the animal’s environment, behaviour and the biochemical interactions that are at play in stressful conditions; and the implications of these for animal health and welfare are key to developing effective mitigation strategies. Therefore, the objective of this review is to highlight the literature on animal welfare, and suggest strategies that could be adopted for the improvement of meat animals, meat quality and meat products

Effects of pre-slaughter sheep handling and animal-related factors on creatine kinase levels and physico-chemical attributes of mutton

Effects of pre-slaughter sheep handling and animal-related factors on Creatine Kinase levels and physico-chemical attributes of mutton By Chulayo Amanda Yucca The objective of the study was to determine the effects of pre-slaughter sheep handling and animal-related factors on Creatine kinase (CK) levels and physico-chemical characteristics of mutton from South African sheep breeds. One hundred and seventy-three castrated male sheep from four breeds (15 Dormer, 46 South African Mutton Merino, 77 Dorper and 35 Blackhead Persian) were used. The animals were grouped according to age categories. The grouping was as follows: Group 1 (6 ≤ 8 months), Group 2 (9 ≤ 12 months) and Group 3 (13 ≤ 16 months). Blood samples for CK determination were collected at exanguination using disposable vacutainer tubes. Representative samples of the Muscularis longissimuss thoracis et. lumborum (LTL) muscle were taken for the determination of ultimate pH (pHu), colour (L*-lightness, b*- redness and a*- yellowness), thawing and cooking losses and meat tenderness. Significant (P<0.01) breed effects were observed on CK levels with Dormer having the highest CK values. Significant linear relationships were observed between pre-slaughter condition and CK levels. There were positive correlations between colour coordinates L* and b* (r =+0.22) and between a* and b* (r =+0.63). Cooking loss and Warner Braztler Shear Force (WBSF) values were positively correlated (r =+0.29). The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed a significant variance for CK and between physico-chemical characteristics of mutton. There were no relationships between CK levels and physico-chemical characteristics of mutton. Significant breed and age effects on pHu, L, a*, b*, thaw %, CL and WBSF of mutton were observed. iv It was concluded that, pre-slaughter conditions affect CK levels and physico-chemical characteristics of mutton. However, there were no relationships between CK levels and physico-chemical characteristics of mutton

Experiences of students living with HIV and AIDS (SLWHA) regarding support group in a selected university campus, Eastern Cape Province

South Africa has one of the highest HIV and AIDS epidemic statistics in the world, especially people under 25 years of age (Department of Social Development, 2002:11). Some university students are implicated, thus Support groups in this context are crucial to help them cope with their unique circumstances. Purpose: of this study was to assess the effectiveness of support groups for SLWHA within a university campus in the Eastern Cape Province. Method: Interviews were used to explore the experiences and challenges of SLWHA. Results: The study shows that support groups are pivotal in the wellbeing of SLWHA in meeting diverse needs such as sense fo belonging, emotional, psychological, information and knowledge,socio-economic as well as health and physical needs. Support group members experience relatively similar living experiences, dynamic as their various lives are, they are able to share their emotions and problems arising from their HIV statuses, thereby lessening their burdens. Some negative experiences were observed, like issues of confidentiality, depression and stress. Conclusion: University support groups can be improved through structured programs that includes various stakeholders like health professionals (wellness centre), university management, and others including academics within the university. Also, expanding their borders via the use of social networks, and expanding their activities to include music, sports, vegetable gardening, group visitations, skills training, and other useful projects shall help to improve lives of victims and fight against the infection of other community members

Research on pre-slaughter stress and meat quality: A review of challenges faced under practical conditions

Transportation and handling of animals are important components in meat production systems. Animals destined for slaughter are stressed by factors such as loading, transportation, restraint, handling, and novelty of the slaughter environment, adverse weather conditions, hunger, thirst and fatigue. When an animal is stressed in the pre-slaughter environment, there is a rapid release of enzymes, cortisols and catecholamines which may lead to depletion of glycogen, high meat ultimate pH (pHu) and dark cuts. Pre-slaughter stress also affects the physiology of the animal resulting in an increase in creatine kinase (CK) activity, glucose, lactate and other blood metabolites. Pre-slaughter stress and meat quality is a wide topic and some research have been done albeit was conducted under experimental and controlled conditions. In real life situations many variables are not controlled. Data collection in practical conditions is complex because it is difficult to accurately take some of the measurements; for example the onset of the release of the enzymes and hormones. Moreover, there are difficulties in taking measurements from slaughterhouses and butcheries. Challenges that researchers, marketers and consumers face under practical conditions either on-farm, research stations, transfer centres, slaughter plants, abattoirs or butcheries; with regard to pre-slaughter stress and meat quality may affect the quality of the final products developed under such conditions. This review therefore aims to give a detailed outline on pre-slaughter stress, meat science research and challenges under practical conditions

Bruising in Slaughter Cattle and Its Relationship with Creatine Kinase Levels and Beef Quality as Affected by Animal Related Factors

The objective of the study was to determine the effects of animal related factors on bruising in slaughter cattle, creatine kinase (CK) and beef quality. Three hundred and twenty one cattle from three breeds (108 Bonsmara, 130 Beefmaster and 83 Brahman) were used in this study. The animals were grouped as follows: Group 1 (16 months old), Group 2 (18 months old) and Group 3 (24 months old). At exsanguinations, blood samples for CK determination were collected using disposable vacutainer tubes. Muscularis longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) was collected 24 h after slaughter to determine the colour (L*, a*, and b*) and ultimate pH (pHu) of beef. Breed, sex and age had significant effects (p<0.05) on bruising score, CK levels and beef quality. Bonsmara breed had the highest (80%) bruising score percentage, CK (705.3±80.57 U/L) and pHu (6.3±0.05) values while the Bonsmara had the highest L* (24.8±0.78) a* (17.5±0.53) and b* (12.8±0.53) values. Higher CK levels were also observed in winter compared to summer, spring and autumn respectively. Therefore, animal factors (sex, breed and animal age at slaughter) contribute to the development of bruises and have an effect on the levels of CK and meat quality. It was also concluded that there is no significant relationship between meat parameters (L,* a*, and b*) and CK levels

Effect of pre-slaughter conditions on physico-chemical characteristics of mutton from three sheep breeds slaughtered at a smallholder rural abattoir

The effects of pre-slaughter conditions and breed on physico-chemical characteristics of mutton were determined. The study was conducted at Adelaide Municipal abattoir in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Records were taken from 84 sheep from the South African Mutton Merino, Blackhead Persian and Dorper breeds as identified on arrival at the abattoir. The South African Mutton Merino (SAMM) had the highest values for meat pH at 24 hours (pH24) (5.9 ± 0.64), lightness; L* (34.2 ± 0.97), yellowness; b* (12.2 ± 0.50) and Warner-Braztler shear force WBSF (26.8 ± 1.51). Linear relationships were also observed between pre-slaughter variables and physico-chemical characteristics of mutton. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed a large variation being contributed by meat pH24 and L*. It was therefore concluded that, transport time and lairage duration negatively affected the quality of mutton. Furthermore, breed affected the physico-chemical characteristics of meat.Keywords: Colour, meat pH24, Principal Component Analysis, transport time, Warner Braztler Shear Forc

The effects of distance travelled, lairage duration and animal-related factors on pre-slaughter stress indicators, carcass characteristics, nanostructure and technological properties of beef

The main objective of the current study was to determine the effect of distance travelled (DT), lairage duration (LDhr) and animal-related factors (animal class, breed, sex) on pre-slaughter stress indicators, carcass characteristics, nanostructure and technological properties of beef. The study was conducted in an Eastern Cape abattoir under the Buffalo City District Municipality. Six genotypes of cattle (Beefmaster, Bonsmara, Brahman, Holstein-Friesian, Non-descript and Nguni) brought for slaughter at the abattoir on different days were used in the study. Slaughter weight (SWT), warm and cold carcass weight (WCW and CCW), fatness and conformation of each animal were measured and recorded. Representative samples of blood plasma and meat quality from the Muscularis thoracis et lumborum (LTL) were collected at slaughter and 24 hours after slaughter, respectively. Heat shock proteins 70kDa (HSPA1A), glucose (GLU), cortisol (CORT), creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were determined from the blood plasma. The representative LTL muscle was used to determine ultimate pH (pHu), lightness (L*), redness (a*), yellowness (b*), meat temperature (Tm), Warner Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF) and histological structure of beef. There were significant effects of distance on pHu, Tm, a*, b*, TL%, CK and LDH. Pearson correlations were observed between distance travelled (DT), creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), ultimate pH (pHu), colour coordinates (L*, a* and b*) and Warner Bratzler Shear Force (WBSF). Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed that the 1st (pHu), 2nd (Tm) and 3rd (L*) principal components were the critical meat quality attributes. Positive relationships between carcass weights and beef quality characteristics for bovine cattle where the cumulative percentage of the first six principal component`s (PC`s) (SWT, WCW, CCW, DP, pHu and Tm contributed to 93.4 % of the total variance. Significant correlation coefficients between DT (r = 0.15), LDhr (r = 0.29), Ta (r = -0.52), Tm (r = 0.26), L* (r = 0.33), a* (r = 0.32) and WBSF (r = -0.49) were observed. Meat from Brahman (BR), Non-descript (ND) and Nguni (NG) cows had visible skeletal muscle fibres which were thin and long indicating improved tenderness of beef. Exposing animals to longer hours of transportation did not only reduce glucose levels but also increased the expression of HSPA1A and levels of cortisol. The CK and LDH were not related to beef quality. Therefore, CK and LDH can be used as indicators of animal welfare in slaughter cattle but cannot be used to predict the quality of meat. Bulls were the heaviest, although heifers had the highest dressing percentage than cows. Furthermore, the nanostructure of beef indicated that heifers had the best muscle fibres, sarcomere length and visible intercalated discs. The observed nanostructures of Nguni genotype are an indication of tender meat. Beef from heifers of Nguni had visible and tender meat with traces of intramuscular fat while males had shorter sarcomere length and tougher meat

A balanced perspective on animal welfare for improved meat and meat products

Increased public concern for animal welfare in the logistics chain has led to a rise in the scrutiny of the treatment of food animals. Factors affecting the status of welfare of slaughter animals begin at the farm and occur during transportation and at the abattoir. The activities that animals pass through before slaughter are thought to have negative effects on both the animal and the product. Before or during this period, animals suffer pain, which compromises their physical, health and biochemical status, and meat quality and quantity; which leads to economic losses. Environmental impact plays a role in the behaviour, growth, development and welfare of animals, even though it is associated with the production of greenhouse gases and biodiversity. Food producers are also mindful of the challenges of feeding the ever-increasing human population. Although the issues of animal production, which range from the environment to human health, have been discussed, animal welfare-related factors that are at play in the production chain of farm animals must still be addressed. An understanding of the animal’s environment, behaviour and the biochemical interactions that are at play in stressful conditions; and the implications of these for animal health and welfare are key to developing effective mitigation strategies. Therefore, the objective of this review is to highlight the literature on animal welfare, and suggest strategies that could be adopted for the improvement of meat animals, meat quality and meat products.Keywords: Avoidance behaviour, climate change, biotechnology, genetic modification, stress biomarkers, road transportatio

The Effects of Pre-slaughter Stress and Season on the Activity of Plasma Creatine Kinase and Mutton Quality from Different Sheep Breeds Slaughtered at a Smallholder Abattoir

The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of pre-slaughter stress, season and breed on the activity of plasma creatine kinase (CK) and the quality of mutton. One hundred and seventy-three (173) castrated sheep from Dormer (DM), South African Mutton Merino (SAMM), Dorper (DP) and Blackhead Persian (BP) sheep breeds were used in the study. The animals were grouped according to age-groups as follows: Group 1 (6 to 8 months), Group 2 (9 to 12 months) and Group 3 (13 to 16 months). Blood samples were collected during exsanguinations using disposable vacutainer tubes for CK analysis. Representative samples of the Muscularis longissimuss thoracis et. lumborum (LTL) were collected from 84 castrated sheep, of different breeds (28 per breed) 24 h after slaughter. The following physico-chemical characteristics of mutton were determined; meat pH (pH24), color (L*, a* and b*), thawing and cooking losses and Warner Braztler Shear Force (WBSF). The activity of plasma CK was significantly higher (p0.001) levels (1,358.6±191.08) of CK. South African Mutton Merino had higher values for pH24 (5.9±0.06), L* (34.2±0.97), b* (12.2±0.50) and WBSF (26.8±1.51) and Blackhead Persian had higher values (35.5±2.17) for cooking loss (CL%) than the other breeds. Computed Principal Component Analyses (PCA) on the activity of plasma CK and physico-chemical characteristics of mutton revealed no correlations between these variables. However, positive correlations were observed between pH24, L*, a*, b*, CL% and WBSF. Relationships between pre-slaughter stress, CK activity and physico-chemical characteristics of mutton were also observed. It was therefore concluded that although mutton quality and creatine kinase were not related, pre-slaughter stress, season and breed affected the activity of creatine kinase and mutton quality

Supplement 1) Peer-reviewed paper

Abstract The effects of pre-slaughter conditions and breed on physico-chemical characteristics of mutton were determined. The study was conducted at Adelaide Municipal abattoir in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Records were taken from 84 sheep from the South African Mutton Merino, Blackhead Persian and Dorper breeds as identified on arrival at the abattoir. The South African Mutton Merino (SAMM) had the highest values for meat pH at 24 hours (pH 24 ) (5.9 ± 0.64), lightness; L* (34.2 ± 0.97), yellowness; b* (12.2 ± 0.50) and Warner-Braztler shear force WBSF (26.8 ± 1.51). Linear relationships were also observed between pre-slaughter variables and physico-chemical characteristics of mutton. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) showed a large variation being contributed by meat pH 24 and L*. It was therefore concluded that, transport time and lairage duration negatively affected the quality of mutton. Furthermore, breed affected the physico-chemical characteristics of meat