L. Faucitano et al., THE EFFECT OF 2 HANDLING AND SLAUGHTER SYSTEMS ON SKIN DAMAGE, MEAT ACIDIFICATION AND COLOR IN PIGS, Meat science, 50(1), 1998, pp. 13-19
In order to minimize the high proportion of carcass and meat quality d
efects recorded in commercially slaughtered pigs, the optimum handling
, stunning and bleeding-out conditions must be implemented. In this st
udy improvements in pig handling resulted in the elimination of electr
ic goading within the raceways, which reduced the skin blemish score b
y 50%. Furthermore, the application of higher stunning voltage (200 V)
and the immediate bleeding-out in the prone position improved the pos
t-mortem acidification rate in the Longissimus thoracis (LT) and Semim
embranosus (SM) muscles. This resulted in a sharp reduction of the PSE
incidence in both muscles. A positive effect on muscle metabolism was
also showed by the lower release of CPK into the bloodflow. These res
ults show that, under commercial conditions, the design of slaughter h
andling systems and the slaughter procedures can have an effect on ski
n damage and on the quality of the pig meat. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science
Ltd. All rights reserved.