Effect of electrical stimulation on veal quality

In three experiments involving a total of eighty-eight veal calves raised in groups and with access to straw, plasma hemoglobin (Hb) levels were determined at one week ante mortem. In each experiment, animals with similar Hb levels were paired. One animal of each pair was stimulated electrically (ES) post mortem whereas the other remained non-stimulated (NS). ES resulted in a more rapid pH fall in longissimus and semi-membranosus muscle. Carcass lean colour scores were improved at 24h, but not at 40 min, post mortem. At 24h post mortem longissimus muscle from ES carcasses showed a brighter colour, lower sarcomere length and lower protein solubility. No significant differences were observed in total haem pigment. After vacuum storage at 3°C for 6 days, samples from ES carcasses had a brighter colour, higher drip and heating loss, lower maximum shear force values, and better ranking and scoring in taste panel preference tests than NS samples. The data indicate that a certain degree of denaturation of the sarcoplasmic proteins may be responsible for the observed effects of ES on water retention and muscle colour, while the improvement of tenderness in the present experiment was due to the prevention, by the treatment, of cold shortening. It is suggested that ES may possibly contribute to the introduction of alternative veal production methods, and thus improve animal welfare.