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Improvement of meat quality in pigs by beta-adrenergic blockade
1ARC Meat Research Institute, Langford, Bristol BS18 7DY, Great Britain.
Abstract:
The value of giving pigs the beta-adrenergic blocking drug carazolol preslaughter to improve meat quality was tested in a stress-resistant breed (Large White) and a stress-susceptible breed (Pietrain). Pigs averaging about 70kg liveweight were injected intramuscularly (1 mg per 100 kg liveweight) 0·5h before being transported to the slaughterhouse. The journey lasted 4 h and covered about 150 km and the pigs were slaughtered after 1 h in lairage. Treatment with carazolol reduced the incidence of PSE meat and considerably improved meat quality in the stress-susceptible Pietrain breed but had little effect in the stress-resistant Large Whites which produced good meat quality in both control and treated groups.
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