ZEVW.htm

NR ZEVW

AU Troeger,K.

TI Handling during transport and its effect on product quality

QU Fleischwirtschaft 1995 Apr; 75(4): 415

PT Article

AB The transport of animals for slaughter is coming increasingly under public scrutiny. For many consumers the acceptance of ''meat'' is now associated with the ethical considerations of the treatment of farm animals. It is therefore very important that animals should be properly treated during transport and in the slaughterhouse. The careful, humane treatment of animals for slaughter is, however, also essential to good product quality. During the transport of pigs for slaughter the following parameters have a great influence on the carcase and meat quality achieved: fasting times, loading and unloading equipment (e.g. angle of ramps), type and equipment of transport trucks, loading density, transport time, how the trucks are driven and how the animals are handled. Resting time at the slaughterhouse to restore an equable physical condition to the animals requires that there should be suitable lairage available and that the pigs should be kept in their original groups. They should rest for 2 to 4 hours. When they are being driven to the stunning bay the physical stress (how fast they run) and the psychical stress (handling) play a part in the development of meat quality faults. With cattle too the improper transport of the animals often leads to carcase damage and meat quality faults. The most important of these are subcutaneous and intramuscular and intermuscular haematomes associated with unsuitable loading densities or transport trucks. With young bulls there is an increasing tendency to produce dark, sticky meat (dark cutting beef) where the animals are seriously stressed ante mortem by mixing together animals that are not used to one another. Increasing care has been paid in recent years to the handling of animals for slaughter during transport. There are two reasons for this. It is being recognized more and more in the trade itself that high product quality can only be achieved if slaughter animals are treated humanely. On the other hand the consumer is increasingly sensitive to the animal welfare aspects of handling animals for slaughter. The treatment and management of pigs and cattle for slaughter between the producer unit and the slaughterhouse is looked at critically in relation to the product quality achieved. Product quality can be reduced by mechanical damage to hide or carcase and by PSE or DFD properties in the meat.

AD K.Troeger, BUNDESANSTALT FLEISCHFORSCH,INST TECHNOL,EC BAUMANN STR 20,D-95326 KULMBACH,GERMANY.

SP deutsch

PO Deutschland

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