A comparison of the effects of electrical, captive bolt or percussion stunning on the incidence of blood splash in lambs

Three-hundred-and-three lambs were divided into three equal groups. Half the lambs in each group were not weaned before slaughter and the weaned half were slaughtered a week later. Lambs in one group were head stunned electrically before slaughter; in the second group lambs were stunned with a captive bolt pistol and in the third group they were percussion stunned before slaughter. Carcasses, gall-bladders, hearts and duodenums were inspected for blood splash after slaughter. A few small haemorrhages were detected in 57% of the electrically stunned lambs, in 30% of the captive bolt stunned lambs and in only 16% of the percussion stunned animals. Although no splash of commercial significance was found in any carcass, 25% of the electrically stunned lambs had detectably splashed carcasses, whilst only 1% of percussion-stunned lambs had splashed carcasses with captive bolt stunned lambs being intermediate in carcass splash incidence. These results show that stunning method affects the incidence of blood splash.     

Effect of electrical stunning methods on petechial haemorrhages and on the blood pressure of lambs

Electrical stunning of lambs to render them unconscious and insensible to pain can result in blood splash (spots of blood in muscles) or speckle (petechial haemorrhages in fat or connective tissue overlying the muscle). Stunning through electrodes applied to the head causes mainly blood splash with some speckle, while currents applied head-to-back or head-to-foreleg can produce speckle without blood splash. To identify the causes of speckle, animal movement and blood pressure changes that occur during stunning were measured. Three different stunning methods were employed: head-only, head-to-back and head-to-foreleg. Head-only stunning, which does not stop the heart and produces a moderate amount of speckling, was accompanied by elevated arterial blood pressures up to 300 mm Hg, and venous pressures up to 100 mm Hg. The carcass became rigid on stunning but reflex kicking occurred when the hind legs were shackled. Head-to-back stunning, which stops the heart, produced a momentary arterial and venous blood pressure rise during the stun, as a result of thoracic pressure changes, followed by a decline in pressure to 40-50 mm Hg. The muscles became markedly rigid due to direct stimulation of the loin and spontaneous kicking was absent following current switch off, although spontaneous coughing persisted. Stillness associated with head-to-back stunning was accompanied by the highest incidence and severity of speckling, whereas head-to-foreleg stunning, which also stops the heart, resulted in less muscle contraction and was accompanied by the least incidence and severity of speckling. Kicking was also eliminated if sufficiently high currents were used. Stopping the heart with KCl before a head-to-back stun lowered arterial blood pressure to 20-30 mm Hg and markedly reduced speckle. Abolition of nervously mediated muscle movement with curare before stunning resulted in no observable speckle in head-only stunned lambs but, in the head-to-back stunned lambs, there was a low incidence of speckle in the loin as a result of the muscle being directly stimulated to contract. The results from this study are consistent with the view that speckle is a result of vigorous movements between muscles during stunning, causing a shearing and rupture of blood vessels in the fat and connective tissues, thus allowing the muscles to squeeze out blood. The incidence of speckle does not appear to be related to blood pressure during stunning.     

Effect of electrical stunning on meat and carcass quality in lambs

The effect on meat quality and the presence of haemorrhages were assessed in head-only electrically stunned and non-stunned lambs. Colour (L?, a?, b?), muscle ultimate pH (pHu), chilling losses and carcass weight at 45 min and 24 h were not significantly different between treatments. However, the amount of blood lost relative to live body weight and the killing-out were significantly higher (P<0.05) in electrically stunned lambs compared with non-stunned lambs. No carcasses with petechiae, ecchymosis, haematomas and bone fractures were found in either treatment. On the other hand, the incidence of hearts with petechiae was significantly (P<0.05) higher in electrically stunned lambs compared with lambs slaughtered without prior stunning. It is concluded that meat quality and the incidence of haemorrhages are unaffected by head-only electrical stunning for 3 s at a constant voltage of 250 V.     

Effects of normal, light/normal or double stunning on the incidence and severity of blood splash in lambs

One-hundred-and-twenty lambs were divided into three equal groups which were subjected to head electrical anaesthesia before bleeding. The normal group was stunned and bleeding was initiated within 5 to 8 s. The light/normal group was partially stunned and then treated as the normal group after a delay of 10s. The double stunned group was electrically anaesthetised, allowed to recover and then restunned and bleeding was initiated within 5 to 8 s. The light/normal and double stunning procedures increased the incidence and severity of carcass blood splash compared with normal stunning but the increase was less than that sometimes seen in normal mobs of head-stunned sheep and which occurs for unknown reasons.     

Relationships between time of stunning and time of throat cutting and their effect on blood pressure and blood splash in lambs

A study based on 84 electrically stunned lambs showed that those gash stuck (transverse incision of the extended neck which almost simultaneously severs the trachea, oesophagus, common carotid arteries and jugular veins and the spinal cord at the occipito-atlantal junction; Blackmore & Newhook, 1976) immediately after removal of the electrical applicator had a lower incidence of blood splash than lambs gash stuck 5-8 sec r stunning. Lambs whose throats were cut immediately before the application of the electrical current had the lowest incidence of blood splash. None of the splash observed was of commercial significance. Systolic blood pressure recordings were made on a further 12 lambs of a similar age, 10 of which were electrically stunned and two shot with a captive bolt pistol. Blood pressure changes observed were related to the blood splash results obtained in the first trial. Electrical stunning raised blood pressures to an average of 3·5 times normal in lambs allowed to recover from stunning. A further seven young unweaned lambs which were electrically or percussion stunned showed a similar pattern of blood pressure change to that reported for older lambs following stunning, except that lower maximum pressures were reached. The authors interpret the results of the present trials as indicating that the application of electrical current to the heads of lambs results in damage to small vessels prior to the elevation of blood pressure. This damage may become apparent in the dressed carcass and organs as small haemorrhages. The subsequent rise in blood pressure following stunning then exacerbates the leakage of blood into tissues and it becomes more apparent in the form of discrete haemorrhages or blood splash.     

Effect of cardiac arrest at slaughter on residual blood content of hide

Inducing a cardiac arrest between stunning and sticking in cattle had no effect on the residual blood content of the hide. Skin from animals which had been dead for about 15 min, but not bled, contained twice as much blood as skin from animals slaughtered in a normal manner. It is concluded, therefore, that the fellmongering problems which are associated with excessive amounts of blood in the hide should not be a problem when stunning methods which simultaneously induce a cardiac arrest are used. This should hold true provided the animal is stuck promptly after it has undergone heart failure.     

The effect of different methods of electrical stunning of lambs on blood pressure and muscular activity

The effect on blood pressure and muscular activity of a 'head-only' and a 'head-to-body' method of electrical stunning was measured in groups of lambs. A two- to three-fold increase in arterial pressure followed 'head-only' stunning, along with moderate increases in venous pressure. By contrast, after 'head-to-body' stunning, arterial pressure decreased, but venous pressure increased to above 50 mm Hg. Electromyographic recordings showed there was a greater increase in the intensity of muscular activity following 'head-to-body' stunning compared with 'head-only' stunning and there was a direct correlation between the degree of muscular activity and the increase in venous pressure. It is argued that the resultant pressure changes in the microcirculatory bed are likely to be associated with the occurrence of haemorrhagic defects following stunning by electrical methods.     

Effect of slaughter method on bleeding efficiency in chickens

The effect of inducing a cardiac arrest, at stunning, on the weight of blood collected at slaughter was examined in broiler chickens when using seven different neck cutting methods. Cardiac arrest resulted in a slower initial rate of bleeding for each neck cutting method, but by 2.25 min after neck cutting there was no effect on the amount of blood collected. The cardiac arrest treatments were associated with a higher incidence of haemorrhaging in the wings.     

Effect of electrical stunning on meat quality of lamb

The effects of stunning on both initial and up to 2 weeks post mortem storage meat quality of Spanish Manchega breed lamb were studied. Twenty-four lambs were distributed into two groups. The first group (US; n =12) were slaughtered without previous stunning. In the second group (ES; n =12) animals were electrically stunned. Meat quality was assessed by examining pH, colour as L*, a*, b* values, water holding capacity (WHC) and shear force (SF). Stunning did not affect any parameter studied in the first 24 h post mortem. There were increasing differences between groups in pH (P<0.001) from 5 days onwards. In general stunning did not have an effect on WHC, SF and colour parameters. Ageing of meat affected SF in the ES group but not in the US one; however, there were no significant differences between treatments at any of the ageing times.     

不同电击昏方式对猪肉品质的影响

研究了不同电击昏方式对猪肉色泽、系水力的影响及其与PSE肉发生率之间的关系。对48头猪分3个组分别进行不电击昏（对照）,手工头部电击昏和自动头胸电击昏3种处理。结果表明电击昏使宰后pH下降较快,肉色明亮度和红色度增大,肌肉系水力下降,断骨率增多,PSE肉发生率增大;采用手工头部电击昏系统和自动头胸电击昏系统处理的猪其PSE肉发生率分别为25％和12．5％,断骨率分别为8．33％和2．67％。自动头胸电击昏系统显著提高了猪肉的品质。     

Electrical stunning of lambs: The effect of stunning parameters and drugs affecting blood flow and behaviour on petechial haemorrhage incidence

Head-to-back electrical stunning of lambs results in speckle bruising, a kind of petechial haemorrhage in muscle fascia, especially when the lamb is tightly restrained. Other factors still appear to modify speckle and some of these are investigated here. There was a significant increase in leg speckle with long stunning duration or high stunning current, but there was little or no increase for the loin. When phenylephrine, a vasoconstrictor, was administered before stunning, there was a reduced speckle compared with the administration of isoproterenol, a vasodilator. The greatest speckle resulted from high currents and isoproterenol administration. These results are consistent with the view that increased blood at speckle sites, i.e. a blush, during the spasm that takes place during stunning, increases speckle. In lambs tranquillized with valium or excited with adrenaline there was no significant difference in speckle for the legs. There was a significant increase of speckle in the loins of valiumtreated lambs. Although increased peripheral blood flow may increase speckle, the effects of stress such as release of adrenaline may reduce this effect.     

Jugular blood flow in calves after head-only electrical stunning and throat-cutting

Jugular flow was measured after head-only electrical stunning and gash cutting in 12 calves less than a week old. Jugular flow was assumed to provide a crude measure of cerebral perfusion during exsanguination. In 10 animals the average amount of jugular blood collected within 1-2 min of throat-cutting was the equivalent of a total cerebral blood flow of 3·6 ml/min/100 g ± 1·4 SD or 4·8% of normal. In two animals the jugular flow was increased to 39% and 22% of normal cerebral flow. All animals had strong retrograde flow from the head ends of the cut carotid arteries. The dynamics of cerebral blood perfusion are discussed with reference to systemic arterial blood pressure and spontaneous cortical electrical activity, and some potentially fruitful areas of research on the humaneness of halal slaughter of cattle are proposed.     

Effect of electrical stunning or sticking without stunning on the microstructure of zousoon, a Chinese semi-dry pork product

The microstructure of muscle fibers from pigs killed following electrical stunning was compared to that from pigs killed after tying-resting and sticking. Examination of the muscle fibers demonstrated that electrical stunning resulted in contracture bands that caused tearing and fragmentation of the myofibers/myofibrils. On the other hand, tying-resting and sticking was not accompanied by microstructural fragmentation of the muscle fibers. Results indicate that electrical stunning of hogs causes fragmentation and breakage of the muscle fibers so that the meat is not suitable for production of Zousoon-a semi-dry shredded Chinese pork product and other similar items prepared from prerigor pig muscle. Heating and drying intensify the deteachment of the myofibrils from the muscle fiber bundles, which is caused mainly by electrical stunning or stimulation and improper conditioning following slaughter. The combined effects of electrical stunning and heating-drying appear to be responsible for the fragmentation of the muscle fibers/myofibrils and contribute to the unsuitability of prerigor muscle from electrically stunned pigs for use in the production of Zousoon. Since sticking of pigs without stunning does not meet humane slaughter standards, alternative animal welfare slaughter procedures should be examined from the standpoint of their usefulness in producing Zousoon.     

不同击晕电压对猪肉胴体性能与冷却肉品质的影响

探讨不同的击昏电压对猪肉胴体品质与冷却肉品质的影响.采用原料猪种为三元杂交猪,试验猪只均重在105±2.37kg.结果显示,击晕电压高于200V时.猪只宰后45min的胴体温度显著高于其他处理组(P<0.05).击晕电压在280V时的蒸煮损失显著高于其他处理组;感官评价小组的肉色评分范围在3.2±0.4～4.2±0.75,其中280V的肉色评分最大(4.2±0.75).击晕电压在200V时冷却肉的亮度显著低于其它处理组(P<0.05),其它各组间差异不显著(P>0.05).随着击晕电压的升高,冷却肉的红度也随着升高.初步确定150V可以作为最佳的击晕电压.     

Effects of electrical and mechanical stunning methods on meat quality in ostriches

The effect of electrical and captive needle air pressure stunning methods on some meat quality parameters was examined in ostriches under practical conditions. One hundred and fifteen ostriches were used in three experiments. The ostriches were stunned either electrically (head only) or by using a captive needle with air pressure. In the first experiment the ostriches were stunned at 90 V (～effectively 52 V), 200 V and by captive needle using air pressure. In the second experiment voltages of 175 and 200 V were applied and a captive needle stunning method using air pressure. In the third experiment the birds were stunned at 175 V with a short stun/stick interval. Experiments 2 and 3 were performed in a different slaughterhouse from experiment 1. Meat quality was assessed by measuring the pH, temperature and colour at 45 min and 18 h post mortem and by determining water binding capacity and haemorrhage score at 18 h post mortem in the big drum, tender loin and triangular filet muscles. The measured stunning parameters in the first experiment were 204±96 mA (～52 V) during 11±1 s and 556±85 mA (～200 V) during 6±0 s. The stun/stick interval was 136±38 s. The rigor mortis value in the tender loin and both pH(1) and pH(2) in the big drum, tender loin and triangular filet muscles were (p<0.05) lower when stunned with air pressure compared with electrical stunning. Moreover internal light scattering remained higher. The measured currents in the second experiment were 561±226 mA (～173 V) during 6±2 s and 518±120 mA (～200 V) during 6 s. The stun/stick interval was 39±12 s. The pH at 45 min and 18 h differed (p<0.05) in the tender loin and triangular filet muscles as did the temperature at 45 min in the three muscles between the different stunning groups. The stunning in the third experiment was carried out with 548±180 mA during 6±2 s. The stun/stick interval was 5±2 s. After the short stun/stick interval the pH(2) was lower (p<0.05) for the tender loin and triangular filet muscles and the wetness of the filter paper of the big drum was (p<0.05) lower compared with the other groups. Our experiments showed that stunning methods affected several meat quality parameters. Using a high electrical stunning current, captive needle stunning or a short stun/stick interval may positively affect some parameters. More research is necessary to examine effects of pre slaughter handling on meat quality.     

Head current during and blood splashes after electrical stunning in relation to characteristics of the pig's body

In order to evaluate electrical stunning in relation to the incidence of blood splashes, meat quality and carcass quality parameters, 2035 pigs, heterozygous for the halothane gene, were observed during slaughter at a commercial slaughterhouse. The head current during electrical stunning is significantly higher (P<0.01) in gilts with a lower live weight (P<0.0001) or cold carcass weight (P<0.0001) and a higher lean meat percentage (P<0.0001). Also the incidence of blood splashes in the ham is significantly higher in gilts (P<0.0001) with a higher lean meat percentage (P=0.0028; odds ratio=1.11), a lower live weight (P=0.003; odds ratio=0.98) and a lower type number (P=0.0074; odds ratio=0.64). For barrows, no significant parameters were revealed. These results suggest that the variability in incidence of blood splashes can be explained by the variability of current density depending both on sex and body characteristics. Thus, electrical stunning can be improved by providing an energy level, based on the body characteristics of the pig.     

Effect of cardiac arrest on susceptibility to carcass bruising in sheep

The effect of inducing a cardiac arrest at electrical stunning on the susceptibility of the carcass to bruising was evaluated in thiopentone-anaesthetised sheep. Bruising was induced with a percussion pistol and measured in terms of meat appearance and extractable haem pigment. Cardiac arrest caused a prompt and marked reduction in susceptibility to bruising, and it is concluded that stunning techniques which cause simultaneous heart failure could help to reduce the incidence of carcass bruising. Exsanguination of sheep which had a normal cardiac rhythm prevented the induction of bruising once 50% of the total blood loss had occurred.     

Evaluation of electrical stunning in commercial rabbits effect on brain function

Effect of electrical stunning on brain function in commercial rabbits was evaluated in electrophysiological studies. In addition to measuring duration of spontaneous physical activity and times to signs of recovery, electrocorticogram (ECOG) recordings and evoked responses were analysed following electrical stunning with 100 V for 1 s in eight rabbits. Epileptiform and other types of activity indicating insensibility were observed in the ECOG. Evoked responses were absent from 24 to 204 s following stunning. Application of a minimum current of 140 mA followed by prompt sticking should prevent welfare problems at stunning and slaughter in rabbits.     

Studies on the return of physical reflexes in pigs following electrical stunning

In order to obtain quantitative information on the duration of insensibility in pigs (60-80 kg) following electrical stunning, experiments were carried out using 50 Hz alternating current for 3 and 7 s current durations at different voltages. The following features were examined: the mean current received by each pig, the period of loss of reflexes and the time to return of spontaneous activity, and cranial nerve reflexes. In particular the return of breathing was used as a first sign of recovery, and the response to a nose prick and presence of the righting reflex were used as indicators of overt consciousness. A minimum current in excess of 406 mA was required to effectively stun these pigs with sufficient duration of loss of reflexes. At least 150 V for 3 s current duration should be used and a maximum stunning to exsanguination interval of 15 s is considered sufficient to ensure pigs of this size do not regain consciousness following the stun.