lectrical stunning is still the main method used worldwide in commercial poultry plants. The stunning procedures in water bath affect both bird welfare and meat quality attributes. The EU Council Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animal at the time of killing, established the minimum current flow through individual birds at a specified frequency to assure an effective stun that must last till the bird death. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of the application of different stunning current flows on incidence of hemorrhages (classified as 1=no lesion, 2=moderate and 3=severe lesion) and some quality traits (pHu, colour, drip and cooking losses and shear force) of chicken breast meat. A total of 12 flocks of broiler chickens each equally divided into light, medium and heavy-size, were submitted to standard stunning current flow (90 mA/bird, 400 Hz) (ST group) or to that reported in the EU regulation (150 mA/bird, 400 Hz) (EU group). Overall, the incidence of severe hemorrhages dramatically increased in EU group in comparison with ST one (53 vs 31%; P<0.01) and particularly in heavy-size birds (72.4 vs 24.8%; P<0.01). In general, the meat quality attributes were not affected by the stunning conditions with the exception of drip loss that resulted lower in EU than ST birds (1.00 vs 1.22%; P<0.01). In conclusion, the adoption of EU stunning electrical requirements in the attempt to improve the bird welfare negatively impacts on breast muscle integrity.
Effect of EU recommended electrical stunning conditions on breast meat quality of broiler chickens
SIRRI, FEDERICO;PETRACCI, MASSIMILIANO;RIMINI, SIMONE;MELUZZI, ADELE
2014
Abstract
lectrical stunning is still the main method used worldwide in commercial poultry plants. The stunning procedures in water bath affect both bird welfare and meat quality attributes. The EU Council Regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animal at the time of killing, established the minimum current flow through individual birds at a specified frequency to assure an effective stun that must last till the bird death. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of the application of different stunning current flows on incidence of hemorrhages (classified as 1=no lesion, 2=moderate and 3=severe lesion) and some quality traits (pHu, colour, drip and cooking losses and shear force) of chicken breast meat. A total of 12 flocks of broiler chickens each equally divided into light, medium and heavy-size, were submitted to standard stunning current flow (90 mA/bird, 400 Hz) (ST group) or to that reported in the EU regulation (150 mA/bird, 400 Hz) (EU group). Overall, the incidence of severe hemorrhages dramatically increased in EU group in comparison with ST one (53 vs 31%; P<0.01) and particularly in heavy-size birds (72.4 vs 24.8%; P<0.01). In general, the meat quality attributes were not affected by the stunning conditions with the exception of drip loss that resulted lower in EU than ST birds (1.00 vs 1.22%; P<0.01). In conclusion, the adoption of EU stunning electrical requirements in the attempt to improve the bird welfare negatively impacts on breast muscle integrity.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
