Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-14T23:24:38.416Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Effects of farm management practices and transport duration on stress response and meat quality traits of suckling goat kids

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2017

M. J. Alcalde
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, Universidad de Sevilla, 41 013, Sevilla, Spain
M. D. Suárez
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología y Geología, Universidad de Almería, 04 120, Almería, Spain
E. Rodero
Affiliation:
Departamento de Producción Animal, Universidad de Córdoba, 14 014, Córdoba, Spain
R. Álvarez
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, Universidad de Sevilla, 41 013, Sevilla, Spain
M. I. Sáez
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología y Geología, Universidad de Almería, 04 120, Almería, Spain
T. F. Martínez*
Affiliation:
Departamento de Biología y Geología, Universidad de Almería, 04 120, Almería, Spain
*
Get access

Abstract

Studies aimed to assess up to what extent farming and transport previous to slaughtering might affect physiology and meat quality in young goat kids are needed, with the ultimate purpose of promoting practices that minimize stress in these animals. In this regard the effects of on-farm management and transport duration on some physiological responses and meat quality parameters in goat kids were assessed. Two farms representing ‘high’ and ‘low’ welfare-friendly management practices were selected. In total, 32 suckling kids were withdrawn from each farm, transported by road for 2 or 6 h, and then slaughtered. Blood samples were collected both on-farm and in the slaughterhouse, and biochemistry, cell counts and haematocrit were determined. After slaughtering, carcass quality parameters were measured. Longissimus dorsi muscle was dissected and pH, colour parameters, water holding capacity and shear force were measured throughout 8-day ageing period. Results indicate that, regardless its duration, transport caused significant effects on some blood parameters suggesting stress in live animals, like glucose, cortisol or creatine kinase. Despite the marked stress status in animals, this condition was not decisively reflected on L. dorsi quality parameters, but some effects were observed regarding fat cover in carcasses and colour parameters. The results suggest that postmortem changes throughout ageing were more decisive in terms of meat quality than stressful management either on-farm or during transport.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alcalde, MJ, Alvarez, R, Pérez-Almero, JL, Cruz, V and Rodero, E 2011. Effect of time road transport on some blood indicators of welfare in suckling kids. In Proceeding of the 62nd Annual Meeting of the European Association for Animal Production (EAAP). Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp. 252.Google Scholar
Ali, BH, Al-Qarawi, AA and Mousa, HM 2006. Stress associated with road transportation in desert sheep and goats, and the effect of pretreatment with xylazine or sodium betaine. Research in Veterinary Science 80, 343348.Google Scholar
Apple, JK, Dikeman, ME, Minton, JE, McMurphy, RM, Fedde, ME, Leith, DE and Unruh, JA 1995. Effects of restraint and isolation stress and epidural blockade on endocrine and blood metabolite status, muscle glycogen metabolism, and incidence of dark-cutting longissimus muscle of sheep. Journal of Animal Science 73, 22952307.Google Scholar
Battini, M, Vieira, A, Barbieri, S, Ajuda, I, Stilwell, G and Mattiello, S 2014. Animal-based indicators for on-farm welfare assessment for dairy goats. American Dairy Science Association 97, 66256648.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bray, AR, Graafhuis, AE and Crystall, BB 1989. The cumulative effect of nutritional, shearing and preslaughter washing stresses on quality of lamb meat. Meat Science 25, 5967.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Castel, JM, Mena, Y, Delgado-Pertíñez, M, Camúñez, J, Basulto, J, Caravaca, F, Guzmán-Guerrero, JL and Alcalde, MJ 2003. Characterization of semi-extensive goat production systems in southern Spain. Small Ruminant Research 47, 133143.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
CIE 1986. Colorimetry. 2nd edition, Publication CIE No. 15.2. Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage, Central Bureau of CIE Vienna, Vienna, Austria.Google Scholar
Colomer-Rocher, F, Morand-Fehr, P and Kirton, AH 1987. Standard methods and procedures for goat carcass evaluation, jointing and tissue separation. Livestock Production Science 17, 149159.Google Scholar
De la Fuente, J, Sánchez, M, Pérez, C, Lauzurica, S, Vieira, C, González de Chávarri, E and Díaz, MT 2010. Physiological response and carcass and meat quality of suckling lambs in relation to transport duration and stocking density during transport by road. Animal 4, 250258.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Díaz, MT, Vieira, C, Pérez, C, Lauzurica, S, González de Chávarri, E, Sánchez, M and De la Fuente, J 2014. Effect of lairage time (0 h, 3 h, 6 h or 12 h) on glycogen content and meat quality parameters in suckling lambs. Meat Science 96, 653660.Google Scholar
Ergul-Ekiz, E and Yalcintan, H 2013. Comparison of certain haematological and biochemical parameters regarding pre-slaughter stress in Saanen, Maltese, Gokceada and hair goat kids. Journal of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Istanbul University 39, 189196.Google Scholar
Etim, NN, Williams, ME, Evans, EI and Offiong, EEA 2013. Physiological and behavioural responses of farm animals to stress: implications to animal productivity. American Journal of Advanced Agricultural Research 1, 5361.Google Scholar
FEAGAS 2015. Federación Española de Asociaciones de Ganado Selecto. Retrieved on 16 October 2016 from http://www.feagas.com.Google Scholar
Ferguson, DM and Warner, RD 2008. Have we underestimated the impact of pre-slaughter stress on meat quality in ruminants? Meat Science 80, 1219.Google Scholar
Grau, R and Hamm, R 1953. Eine einfache Methode zur bestimmung de Wasserbindung in Muskel. Naturwissenschaftan 40, 2930.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
International Committee for Standardization in Haematology 1984. Reference method for staining blood and bone marrow films by azure B and eosin Y (Romanowsky stain). International committee for standardization in haematology. British Journal of Haematology 57, 707710.Google Scholar
Jaber, L, Chedid, M and Hamadeh, S 2013. Water stress in small ruminants. In Responses of organisms to water stress (ed. Ş Akıncı), pp. 115150. INTECH Open Access Publisher, Rijeka, Croatia.Google Scholar
Kadim, IT, Mahgoub, O, Al-Kindi, A, Al-Marzooqi, W and Al-Saqri, NM 2006. Effects of transportation at high ambient temperatures on physiological responses, carcass and meat quality characteristics of three breeds of Omani goats. Meat Science 73, 626634.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kannan, G, Kouakou, B, Terrill, TH and Gelaye, S 2003. Endocrine, blood metabolite, and meat quality changes in goats as influenced by short-term, preslaughter stress. Journal of Animal Science 81, 14991507.Google Scholar
Kannan, G, Terrill, TH, Kouakou, B, Gazal, OS, Gelaye, S, Amoah, EA and Samake, S 2000. Transportation of goats: effects on physiological stress responses and live weight loss. Journal of Animal Science 78, 14501457.Google Scholar
Kannan, G, Terrill, TH, Kouakou, B, Gelaye, S and Amoah, EA 2002. Simulated preslaughter holding and isolation effects on stress responses and live weight shrinkage in meat goats. Journal of Animal Science 80, 17711780.Google Scholar
Kliber, HH 1964. Environmental physiology and shelter engineering with special reference to domestic animals: LXVII thermal effects of various temperature-humidity combinations on Holstein cattle as measured by physiological responses (Research Bulletin (University of Missouri. Agricultural Experiment Station). University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA. 862 pp.Google Scholar
Knowles, TG, Brown, SN, Warris, PD, Phillips, AJ, Dolan, SK, Hunt, P, Ford, JE, Edwards, JE and Watkins, PE 1995. Effects on sheep of transport by road for up to 24 hours. Veterinary Record 136, 431438.Google Scholar
Knowles, TG and Warris, PD 2000. Stress physiology of animals during transport. In Livestock handling and transport, 2nd edition (ed. T Grandin), pp. 385407. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Marichal, A, Castro, N, Capote, J, Zamorano, J and Argüello, A 2003. Effects of live weight at slaughter (6, 10 and 25 kg) on kid carcass and meat quality. Livestock Production Science 83, 247256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Minka, NS, Ayo, JO, Sackey, AKB and Adelaiye, AB 2009. Assessment and scoring of stresses imposed on goats during handling, loading, road transportation and unloading, and the effect of pretreatment with ascorbic acid. Livestock Science 125, 275282.Google Scholar
Miranda de la Lama, GC, Villarroel, M, Liste, G, Escós, J and María, GA 2010. Critical points in the pre-slaughter logistic chain of lambs in Spain that may comprise the animal’s welfare. Small Ruminant Research 90, 174178.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nwe, TM, Hori, E, Manda, M and Watanabe, S 1996. Significance of catecholamines and cortisol levels in blood during transportation stress in goats. Small Ruminant Research 20, 129135.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rajion, MA, Saat, IM, Zulkigli, I and Goh, YM 2001. The effects of road transportation on some physiological stress measures in goats. Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Science 14, 12501252.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ripoll, G, Alcalde, MJ, Horcada, A and Panea, B 2011. Suckling kid breed and slaughter weigh discrimination using muscle colour and visible reflectance. Meat Science 87, 151156.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Santos, VAC, Silva, SR and Azevedo, JMT 2008. Carcass composition and meat quality of equally mature kids and lambs. Journal of Animal Science 86, 19431950.Google Scholar
Teke, B, Ekiz, B, Akdag, F, Ugurlu, M, Ciftci, G and Senturk, B 2014. Effects of stocking density of lambs on biochemical stress parameters and meat quality related to commercial transportation. Annals Animal Science 14, 611621.Google Scholar
Webb, EC, Casey, NH and Simela, L 2005. Goat meat quality. Small Ruminant Research 60, 153166.Google Scholar
Welfare Quality 2009. Welfare Quality® assessment protocol for cattle. Welfare Quality Consortium, Lelystad, The Netherlands. 182 pp.Google Scholar
Yates, DT, Otis, AR, Warner, CA, Yates, LJ, Halalsheh, RA, Horvath, MB, Hallford, DM and Ross, TT 2010. Effects of physical isolation on serum and salivary cortisol and components of complete blood counts in yearling ewes. Sheep and Goat Research Journal 25, 3944.Google Scholar
Zimerman, M, Grigioni, G, Taddeo, H and Domingo, E 2011. Physiological stress responses and meat quality traits of kids subjected to different pre-slaughter stressors. Small Ruminant Research 100, 137142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: PDF

Alcalde supplementary material

Table S1

Download Alcalde supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 66 KB
Supplementary material: PDF

Alcalde supplementary material

Table S2

Download Alcalde supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 85.4 KB
Supplementary material: PDF

Alcalde supplementary material

Table S3

Download Alcalde supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 80 KB
Supplementary material: PDF

Alcalde supplementary material

Table S4

Download Alcalde supplementary material(PDF)
PDF 79.9 KB