Influence of the Slaughter Method on the Hygienic Quality of Beef Cattle Meat and Animal Welfare Biomarkers

Simple Summary The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of the slaughter method on the microbiology of the meat and the animal welfare physiological indicators for beef cattle. Three slaughter procedures were compared, as follows: regular slaughter (with a penetrative captive bolt), halal slaughter, and halal slaughter with a non-penetrative captive bolt (reversible stunning accepted by some halal religious authorities). We conclude that the halal slaughter with stunning showed the best results for microbial counts (enterobacteria and coliforms) and for the considered biomarkers of animal welfare, lactate dehydrogenase, glucose, and creatine kinase; however, this slaughter type gave the highest amount of cortisol. The main objective of this research was to carry out a comparative study between different types of slaughter in beef cattle with and without stunning. In addition, the hygienic quality of the obtained meat was determined through microbiological analysis and the animal welfare at the time of slaughtering was assessed by means of physiological parameters. A total of 52 blood samples collected at the slaughterhouse during slaughter (10 for each type of slaughter: regular, halal, and halal with stunning; 10 at the time of resting; and 12 from rotating box slaughter) were analysed for physiological parameters indicating animal welfare status, namely, glucose, cortisol, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and creatine kinase (CK). In addition, the meat from 30 of the above animals was analysed for aerobic mesophilic bacteria, enterobacteria and coliforms. Moreover, a radiological study of the possible skull damage due to the non-penetrative captive bolt used at the time of stunning in the halal rite slaughter was carried out. A significance difference (p < 0.05) in the microbiological counts per type of slaughter was observed. It was proven that the amounts of glucose, LDH, CK, and cortisol in plasma were influenced (p < 0.05) by the type of slaughter. The halal rite slaughter using stunning with a non-penetrative captive bolt resulted in the best hygienic quality of meat and obtained the lowest values for all animal welfare biomarkers.

Automated summary

The study aimed to investigate the influence of slaughter method on the microbiology of meat and animal welfare physiological indicators for beef cattle. Three slaughter procedures were compared: regular slaughter, halal slaughter, and halal slaughter with stunning. The findings showed that halal slaughter with stunning demonstrated the best results for microbial counts and animal welfare biomarkers, although it resulted in the highest cortisol levels. The research compared different slaughter methods and assessed the hygienic quality of the meat and animal welfare indicators, while also conducting a radiological study on possible damage caused by stunning in halal rite slaughter.