Cone restraining and head-only electrical stunning in broilers: effects on physiological responses and meat quality

Area of Science:

• Animal Science
• Food Science
• Agricultural Engineering

Background:

• Conventional broiler stunning methods, such as water bath stunning, can impact meat quality.
• There is a need for effective and humane stunning systems in poultry processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a novel head-only electrical stunning system for broilers.
• To assess the behavioral, neural, and physiological responses to this new stunning method.
• To compare the meat quality of broilers stunned using this system versus a conventional water bath.

Main Methods:

• Two experiments were conducted involving 27-30 broilers each.
• Broilers were restrained in a cone with heads positioned for electrical stunning (264 ± 29 mA AC).
• Behavioral, neural (EEG), physiological (heart rate), and meat quality (pH, blood splash, color, temperature) parameters were measured.

Main Results:

• The head-only electrical stunning system achieved an effective stun and exsanguination rate between 0.90 and 1.00.
• Broilers stunned with the new system showed significantly lower pH (P < 0.05) and fewer severe blood splashes (3% vs. 27%) in breast fillets.
• No significant differences in meat temperature or color were observed between stunning methods.

Conclusions:

• Head-only electrical stunning in a cone-restrainer is a viable and effective method for broiler slaughter.
• This system offers potential improvements in meat quality, specifically reducing blood splash incidence.
• The procedure is adaptable to both laboratory and commercial slaughterhouse settings.