Different Slaughtering Methods

[donburke]

I have been watching some rather graphic videos on youtube of slaughterhouses

I notice that some slaughters are by way of slitting the throat and letting the animal bleed, perhaps for religious reasons

others are by way of a bolt through the head, some were by electrocution

this is a bbq forum, and whilst I respect the opinions of animal welfare groups and people's religions, I'm not really interested in hearing about them in this thread

my question is whether the different methods affect the final product that we consume ? and if so, what are the differences ?

[Stockman]

Don
While I am no expert on slaughter practices and without seeing the videos you are refering to, all meat destined for human consumption is 'bled out'. The use of captive bolt or electrocution is to stun and immobilize the animal so that the animal in an unconscious state and doesn’t experience the pain and is immobilized so the slaughterman can safely cut the animal’s throat. The cutting of the throat is what actually renders them dead. Religious considerations include things like whether the captive bolt fractures or penetrates the skull and the direction the animal is facing when slaughtered. These sort of practices have no real impact on the product we eat as modern post slaughter practices take these things into consideration. We could get into a technical discussion about the use of electrocution or electrical stimulation and its impact on meat quality but I don’t think this is what you are asking

[donburke]

Don
While I am no expert on slaughter practices and without seeing the videos you are refering to, all meat destined for human consumption is 'bled out'. The use of captive bolt or electrocution is to stun and immobilize the animal so that the animal in an unconscious state and doesn’t experience the pain and is immobilized so the slaughterman can safely cut the animal’s throat. The cutting of the throat is what actually renders them dead. Religious considerations include things like whether the captive bolt fractures or penetrates the skull and the direction the animal is facing when slaughtered. These sort of practices have no real impact on the product we eat as modern post slaughter practices take these things into consideration. We could get into a technical discussion about the use of electrocution or electrical stimulation and its impact on meat quality but I don’t think this is what you are asking

thanks for the reply stockman,

I thought the bolt actually killed them

I am actually interested in the technical aspect of the different methods, for example, does the electrocution damage muscles which might render the texture of the meat tougher ? and i don't know if that's the case, but electrocution would either improve the muscle, damage the muscle, or do nothing to the muscle

and I suppose ultimately do the different methods affect the final product

[Strider]

My experience is limited to fish. However, I can say with salmon they are first percussively stunned with a pneumatic piston, and then their throats are cut to bleed out within an ice slurry. However, farmed barramundi are typically put immediately into ice slurry to bleed out - no stunning involved. I guess my point is that different methods sometimes have different uses.

The less stressful the method of slaughter, the less lactic acid buildup within the muscle. In fish, this would lead to gaping between the muscle blocks of the flesh. In other meats I have heard that it leads to toughness, though cannot be certain this is 100% correct.

[Stockman]

Maybe someone with more firsthand knowledge will chime in but my understanding from a theoretical perspective in red meat is that…….
Electrical stimulation is used for a number of reasons and can have an impact on meat quality. Electrical stimulation is used for immobilizing the animal for slaughter and/or to make the carcase ridged (for hide pulling), but also to control the rate of post mortem pH decline which has an impact on tenderness and meat quality (meat colour and shelf life).

After an animal is slaughtered the pH of the meat begins to drop (become more acidic), the final pH or the ‘Ultimate pH’ has a major influence on meat quality. The goal is to get the ultimate pH below 5.7. The ultimate pH is determined by the level of muscle glycogen (basically how well fed the animal in the days/weeks leading up to slaughter) and the rate of cooling of the carcase. Glycolysis is the chemical reaction that uses glycogen produces lactic acid

If a carcase is chilled too rapidly before glycolysis () can use up all the available glycogen and the chemical reaction stops due to the low temp than the meat will be tough (Cold Shortening). Electrical stimulation is used to speed up glycolysis (by making the muscle fibres contract and use glycogen) so that cold shortening can be avoided. If too much stimulation is applied than the opposite problem can occur – rapid decline in pH at ‘high’ temp leads to ‘Heat Toughening’.

Modern meat processors monitor all of these factors and they adjust electrical stimulation levels to control pH decline therefore the type of slaughter and the uses of stimulation shouldn’t really affect the meat quality. At the end of the day most of us don’t know where our meat comes from let alone the specific details of how it is slaughtered and processed. The MSA grading system has a ultimate pH specification of below 5.7 so that the tenderness and shelf life is more predictable.

Hopefully this makes sense and goes some way to answer your question!

[donburke]

thanks stockman, that answers my question

from my readings of technical articles online (many of which are too technical for my understanding), my interpretation is that the pre-slaughter treatment and also the slaughtering method do affect the levels of stress hormones released, which in turn can create undesirable ph levels resulting in different muscle metabolism post-mortem.

however, as you have advised, in modern processing plants, all of these variables are monitored, and the environment is adjusted to compensate accordingly

thanks for chiming in, I appreciate your technical input

[Al_]

it seems to be commonly accepted that the less stresfull the slaughter the better quality the meat, yet there are some cultures who deliberately do the opposite because they believe it makes for better eating.
for eg, there are some in korea who string up dogs and beat them to death as they believe this produces the best eating meat.

(This is not a standard practice of the koreans, and to balance the ledger there are plenty of koreans who keep dogs as pets and groups who strive to put a stop to this sort of stuff)

I once saw a documentry that followed the lives of pigs from birth to death in Denmark.
In the slaughterhouse the pigs went in a race and a conveyer belt picked them up, coming from underneath so they straddled the belt. This in no way stressed the pigs as the look on their face was one of curiosity rather than fear. At the top of their ride they got the electrodes, and goodnight, no stress, no fear.

My understanding is that here in australia you need an exemption to slit a beasts throat without stunning and even then the animal must be stunned pretty much simulatiosly as the cutting. whether it happens that way is another matter.

[imarty]

Maybe someone with more firsthand knowledge will chime in but my understanding from a theoretical perspective in red meat is that…….
Electrical stimulation is used for a number of reasons and can have an impact on meat quality. Electrical stimulation is used for immobilizing the animal for slaughter and/or to make the carcase ridged (for hide pulling), but also to control the rate of post mortem pH decline which has an impact on tenderness and meat quality (meat colour and shelf life).

After an animal is slaughtered the pH of the meat begins to drop (become more acidic), the final pH or the ‘Ultimate pH’ has a major influence on meat quality. The goal is to get the ultimate pH below 5.7. The ultimate pH is determined by the level of muscle glycogen (basically how well fed the animal in the days/weeks leading up to slaughter) and the rate of cooling of the carcase. Glycolysis is the chemical reaction that uses glycogen produces lactic acid

If a carcase is chilled too rapidly before glycolysis () can use up all the available glycogen and the chemical reaction stops due to the low temp than the meat will be tough (Cold Shortening). Electrical stimulation is used to speed up glycolysis (by making the muscle fibres contract and use glycogen) so that cold shortening can be avoided. If too much stimulation is applied than the opposite problem can occur – rapid decline in pH at ‘high’ temp leads to ‘Heat Toughening’.

Modern meat processors monitor all of these factors and they adjust electrical stimulation levels to control pH decline therefore the type of slaughter and the uses of stimulation shouldn’t really affect the meat quality. At the end of the day most of us don’t know where our meat comes from let alone the specific details of how it is slaughtered and processed. The MSA grading system has a ultimate pH specification of below 5.7 so that the tenderness and shelf life is more predictable.

Hopefully this makes sense and goes some way to answer your question!

Stockman is pretty much on the money here however there is a difference between stunning and electrical stimulation (ES). ES is conducted after stunning and sticking (bleeding out) and predominantly for the reasons given above, but it also helps to get the maximum amount of blood out of the carcase. Some abattoirs also use glycose flushing where a liquid glycose solution is actually flushed through the vascular system but we're getting off topic now!

The most common method of stunning for cattle is captive bolt and again Stockman is on the money. For pigs the most common method is CO2 stunning where the pigs are placed on to a carousel type arrangment and they're lowered into a room below ground filled with CO2 where they go to sleep after which they're stuck and bled. ES is not used in pig processing.

[CrazyIvan]

I worked as a butcher after leaving school and we were taught the various methods of slaughtering. The stun bolt doesn't kill the animal but renders them unable to feel pain and unconcious. IIRC the animal will not survive the bolt as it penetrates the skull and actually bounces off the brain but the actual slaughter method is indeed draining the animal of blood. The process in the UK (I'm 99% certain it's the same here) is to make sure the animals do not get stressed which is why the best slaughter houses make sure the animals can't even smell the slaughter process before they get stunned. That is for both humane reasons and for the quality of the meat. It's an interesting process, somewhat gruesome but you get used to it... The smell? Not so much...

[jdonly1]

I have done both,cut the throat and bled out but most of the time I shoot them in the paddock and then cut there throat(they still bleed out fine).We have never had a tuff piece of meat by doing it that way.
The last lot of lambs we killed we had yarded,we caught them 2 at a time and cut there throats,We got a couple of tough ones from this lot so it will be back to shooting in the paddock from now on
Cheers JD

[Davo]

But there is another way.....

I've just came up with a New Position for our recently Dis-placed former PM who has the unfortunate voice to put any beast into a trance, especially journos

Now if we get her the job to give a speech to a packed herd of cattle/pigs/sheep/chooks for them to just fall asleep during halfway, then they shall not suffer any stress when they are near hypnotised

We should have the best meat in the world....I'll send her the application ASAP

Cheers

Davo

[CrazyIvan]

The problem is they might look at her face... You'd have a hard time catching them then

[Commander Cody]

The problem is they might look at her face... You'd have a hard time catching them then

+1+

the meat would be uneatable due to the adrenalin taint.

kevin

[Davo]

The problem is they might look at her face... You'd have a hard time catching them then

Probably not the face so much but the hairdo would make them stampede.....yeah now I think of it....Not such a great idea