Welfare and hygiene during preslaughter handling

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Meat Science
• Food Safety

Background:

• Preslaughter handling significantly impacts animal welfare and carcass quality.
• Current practices often lead to animal suffering, including stress, dehydration, and physical injury.
• The effects of preslaughter stress on muscle physiology and meat characteristics require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the detrimental effects of preslaughter handling on animal welfare.
• To examine the influence of preslaughter handling methods on carcass hygiene.
• To synthesize recent findings on preslaughter stress, muscle glycogen metabolism, and dark firm dry meat.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of scientific studies on animal handling and meat quality.
• Analysis of research findings concerning preslaughter stress and its physiological consequences.
• Examination of the relationship between handling practices and carcass contamination.

Main Results:

• Preslaughter handling commonly results in animal suffering, including metabolic exhaustion, dehydration, and stress.
• Inadequate handling can lead to physical damage such as bruising and torn skin.
• Preslaughter stress negatively affects muscle glycogen metabolism, potentially leading to "dark, firm, dry" (DFD) meat defects.

Conclusions:

• Improved preslaughter handling protocols are essential to mitigate animal suffering.
• Optimizing handling procedures can enhance carcass hygiene and reduce meat quality defects.
• Further research is needed to fully understand and address the complex interactions between preslaughter stress and meat characteristics.