Pre-Slaughter Stress, Management of Stress and Its Effect on Meat and Carcass Quality

Pre-slaughter stress includes all the conditions and practices that apply during the period when the animal is moved from source or market to enter to the stunning box at the abattoir.Cattle can be stressed during transportation, marketing and handling at abattoirs.During such condition physiological changes (increased heart rate, respiratory rate, body temperature, the activity of enzymes, stress hormones (catecholamine, cortisol and glycolysis) have been occurred which used to measure stress before cattle slaughter.Such changes affect the meat quality by depleting muscle glycogen which results in a lower rate of post-mortem lactic acid synthesis, high ultimate pH, tough meat, abnormal muscle color and high water retention capacity.Pre-slaughter stress also causes carcass damage (bruising, hemorrhages, and blood splash), low carcass yields, and total carcass loss meat.Pre-slaughter dietary supplement (Magnesium, Chromium Tryptophan, electrolyte, and Vitamin E), appropriate livestock facilities, best animal handling practice and selection for temperament have been the most effective way to reduce pre-slaughter stress.