Dobrobit životinja za klanje i uticaj na kvalitet mesa

Animal welfare is very important in the meat production chain. From the production on the farm to slaughtering, it is the main task of experts and other stakeholders included in the meat production, as well as their obligation, to respect the animal welfare, to treat animals in a humane manner, to spear them fear, suffering and pain. Since slaughterhouses represent unfamiliar environment for the animals, and therefore stressful environment, negative effects can be diminished by adequate handling of animals. Guarantee of proper animal treatment and subsequent meat quality is respecting of adequate regulations and continuous education of persons included in the chain of animal food.Dobrobit životinja ima značajnu ulogu u lancu proizvodnje mesa. Duž celog lanca proizvodnje od farme do trenutka klanja, zadatak stručne javnosti i ostalih osoba uključenih u proizvodnju mesa, jeste obaveza da se sa životinjama postupa na human način, kako bi se poštedele straha, patnje i bola. Pošto klanice predstavljaju nepoznato okruženje za životinje i samim tim stresnu sredinu, negativni efekti mogu se umanjiti adekvatnom manipulacijom sa životinjama. Garancija odgovarajućeg odnosa prema životinjama i posledičnog kvaliteta mesa je poštovanje odgovarajuće zakonske regulative i kontinuirane edukacije osoblja uključenog u lanac hrane animalnog porekla

Postmortem glycolysis and pork quality

After an animal is harvested for meat, the skeletal muscle initiates a myriad of biochemical pathways in an attempt to maintain energy homeostasis. Anaerobic glycolysis is responsible for the generation of ATP to help meet energy demand and for the decrease in pH by generating H+. Both the rate and the extent of the post-mortem pH decline are paramount in the context of the development of pork quality attributes, such as color, water holding capacity, and texture. Pale, soft and exudative meat and dark, firm, and dry meat are two of the major quality defects facing the pork meat industry. Because glycolysis has the potential to affect meat quality attributes either positively or negatively, evaluating its regulation post-mortem is fundamental to understanding meat quality. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate factors that affect mechanism of glycolysis. Special consideration will be given to meat quality attributes and development of pork quality defects

Efekti probiotika na Campylobacter jejuni i Salmonella spp. u odnosu na meso i organe zaklanih brojlera

Our research deals with the effects of probiotics on Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella spp. with respect to the meat and organs of slaughtered chickens. For the scope of our experiment, we used 250 one-day old chicks, divided into 5 groups. Initially, control chicken group was fed with feed not containing probiotics. Other groups were fed with feed containing different probiotics. Fattening-intended food was standardized for all groups. All chicken groups were exposed to the same ambient conditions. Following 42 days period of fattening, chickens were slaughtered. We took 30 samples of liver, intestine and swabs from perianal region for the needs of bacteriological examination. Campylobacter spp. and Salmonella spp. were determined by selective media. On the basis of obtained results, we can say that the application of probiotics in chicken feed reduces considerably the onset of Campylobacter jejuni and Salmonella spp. in meat and organs.Naše istraživanje predstavlja efekte probiotika na Campylobacter jejuni i Salmonella spp. u odnosu na meso i organe zaklanih pilića. U eksperimentu je korišćeno 250 jednodnevnih brojlera, podeljenih u 5 grupa. Kontrolna grupa brojlera hranjena je smešama bez probiotika. Brojleri ostalih grupa hranjeni su smešama sa dodatkom različitih probiotika. Smeše za ishranu bile su standardne za svaku grupu, a brojleri svih grupa su držani pod istim uslovima. Posle 42 dana tova, brojleri su zaklani i uzeto je 30 uzoraka jetre, creva i briseva iz perianalne regije za bakteriološko ispitivanje prisustva Campylobacter spp. i Salmonella spp., Prisustvo ovih mikroorganizama je utvrđeno na selektivnim podlogama. Na osnovu dobijenih rezultata, može se reći da upotreba probiotika u ishrani brojlera redukuje Campylobacter spp. i Salmonella spp. u mesu i organima

Pre-slaughter stress and pork quality

Stress is an inevitable consequence of handling of animals for slaughter. Stress conditions during transport, lairage and at slaughter induce undesirable effects on the end quality of meat such as pale, soft, exudative meat and dark firm dry meat. Hence, it is very important to define appropriate parameters for objective assessment of level of stress. Attempts to define measures of stress have been difficult and no physiological parameter has been successfully used to evaluate stress situations. One physiological change in swine associated with animal handling stress and with pork quality is an increase in blood lactate concentration. Plasma cortisol was thought to be an appropriate indicator of stress, but the concentration was not consistently changed by different stressors. Therefore, finding alternative parameters reacting to stressors, such as acute phase proteins, would be of great value for the objective evaluation of level of stress and meat quality. As the stress during pre-slaughter handling is unavoidable, the final goal is to improve transport and slaughter conditions for the animal and, as a consequence, meat quality and animal welfare

Real-time PCR methods for detecting Salmonella spp. in food after different DNA extraction procedures

The aim of this paper was to evaluate two real-time PCR (qPCR) protocols for the detection of Salmonella spp. in minced meat and chicken neck skin, after DNA extraction using the InstaTM Gene matrix (BioRad, USA) and DNA extraction based on thermal cell lysis. The applied molecular methods were sensitive and specific for the rapid detection of Salmonella spp. in minced meat and chicken neck skin. The qualitative results were identical regardless of the applied DNA extraction or qPCR protocols. Lower Cq values were achieved after DNA extraction using the InstaTM Gene matrix

Perspectives in meat processing

Meat technology includes all steps from animal handling and slaughtering to production of different meat products. During animal handling, special attention is paid to animal welfare, not only to protect animals from suffering but also because of animal welfares importance for meat quality. The oldest processing methods (chilling, freezing, salting, smoking and drying) are being readjusted with respect to equipment and consumers health issues. Special attention is given to preservation of meats nutritive value (milder heat treatment) and health promoting properties of the products (functional foods). Novel methods (irradiation, high pressure, pulsed electric field, pulsed light and cold plasma) struggle with some issues such as acceptance by consumers, expensive equipment and effects on foods sensory properties. Along with novel products, demand for traditional meat products is still increasing which requires the the uniqueness and quality of these products to be preserved, along with increased production capacity

Carcass Quality and Hematological Alterations Associated with Lung Lesions in Slaughter Pigs

The aim of this study was to examine effects of lung lesions on carcass quality and hematological parameters of slaughter pigs. The group of pigs with lung lesion score 2 had significantly lower live weight, hot carcass weight and cold carcass weight compared to the group of pigs with lung lesion score 0 (P0.05). The total number of red blood cells, concentrations of hemoglobin and hematocrit showed significantly lower mean values in the group of pigs with lung lesions score 2 (P0.05). In conclusion, the results showed that lung lesions in fattening pigs had negative impact on carcass quality and hematological parameters

Control of Listeria monocytogenes in food production plants

L. monocytogenes has been established in different plants for the production of food, including dairy plants, abattoirs, plants for the processing of fish, as well as those for the production of ready-to-eat (RTE) food and this fact is being considered as the primary mechanism of food contamination with this bacteria. There is also the factor of numerous and diverse contaminated production equipment, because it has certain parts that are inaccessible for the necessary cleaning and disinfection. The temperature, position, as well as the material of the work surface are also linked to the contamination of plants with this bacteria. Investigations carried out so far have helped toward the better understanding of the manner and time of contamination of food items in the course of the production process, but there are still unresolved problems, including most certainly the biggest one - the adherence of bacteria and the creation of a biofilm, when the bacteria is in that condition more resistant to so-called stress factors which are usually used in the food industry for the purpose of decontamination of the surfaces with which foods come into contact. The control of L. monocytogenes in food production plants is possible primarily by using an integrated programme, compatible with the systems Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and Good Hygiene Practice (GHP), necessary in the production of food that is safe for the consumer. Essentially, the control measures that can contribute to reducing the incidence of findings of L.monocytogenes in the finished product, as well as the reducing of the level of contamination with this bacteria are linked, on the one hand, with hygiene procedures in the production process, and, on the other, with the applied technological procedures

Meat quality: Impact of various pre-slaughter conditions

Poor animal welfare is a growing issue of concern all over the world. During pre-slaughter phases, some activities, if poorly performed, lead to stress reactions in animals. Animals responses to a great extent depend on species, breed, sex and age of animal. Food and water deprivation, exposure to unfavourable environmental conditions, improper handling and social mixing are just some indicators of compromised animal well-being. All these detrimental activities lead to the development of carcass and meat quality defects. Among them, important defects are untimely death of animals, body weight loss, carcass damage, and the two major meat quality defects, i.e. pale, soft, exudative (PSE) and dark, firm, dry (DFD) meats. Consumer dissatisfaction results, and with economic and financial losses, producers are placed in a disadvantageous position