ZBJS.htm

NR ZBJS

AU Weise,E.; Wormuth,H.-J.; Schütt-Abraham,I.; Levetzow,R.

TI High voltage stunning of chickens and its effect on the quality of the meat

QU Fleischwirtschaft 1988 68(11): 1416-20

PT journal article

AB The paper considers whether, under the present conditions of industrial poultry slaughtering, slaughter and thus also stunning can be made more efficient by increasing the voltages now used in water bath stunning plants (70 - 100 V) to at least 150 V and whether this will have an adverse effect on meat quality. The investigations complement earlier publications (Wormuth et al., 1981; Weise et al., 1982) based on laboratory experiments and showing that if animal protection provisions are to be met the death of the bird must take place at the same time as stunning. It was found that even under factory conditions a high death rate is to be expected even at a voltage of only 70 V. But stunning is only in line with animal protection provisions at voltages of at least 150 V (corresponding to a current of about 120 mA for an individual bird). This will kill more than 90% of the birds (ventricular fibrillation, negative corneal reflex after 30 sec). No negative effects on meat quality were evident in the factory study. There were no group-specific differences either in the degree of bleeding out after 90 and 180 seconds nor in the pH pattern, juice-holding capacity, shelf-life during refrigerated storage or in acceptability after grilling. Variations between the different units or experimental stages seemed to be of far greater importance. Quality tests on joints (breast fillets, wings) by poultry meat experts, which took the form of sensory checks, resulted in a generally high level of complaints. The proportion of rejected cuts of chickens stunned with a high voltage (150 V) was somewhat greater than for those of the other groups (70 or 80 V), but this difference is of minor practical importance as the order of magnitude was the same for both lots. In our opinion objections against the introduction of high voltage stunning are therefore untenable.

AD Institut für Veterinärmedizin (Robert von Ostertag-Institut) des Bundesgesundheitsamtes, Postfach, D-1000 Berlin 38

SP englisch

PO Deutschland

Autorenindex - authors index
Startseite Betäubung - home page Stunning