Effects of transport and pre-slaughter waiting periods in the welfare and meat quality of lambs

• Grant number: 12/23471-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: April 01, 2013
• End date: March 31, 2016
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Helder Louvandini
• Grantee: Ana Claudia Koki Sampaio Issakowicz
• Host Institution: Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The live animals transport in Brazil is held mostly by highways using trucks without proper working conditions for animal transportation, which impairs animal welfare and can compromise the final product. Few studies in sheep transportation have been undertaken looking for the quality of the product. And animal welfare are among the mainly factors that can impair the meat quality. Among the factors that impair the meat quality, there are animal welfare. The animal behavior in the embarkation and disembarkation can inform the level of animal well-being at this moment, which may be affected by the time that animals remain in transport trucks. Arriving at abattoir, the animals must stay at stall to permit the organism return to homeostasis, avoiding any transportation effect on meat quality. The cortisol levels are used as animal well-being evaluation, which can be accessed in blood, urine, feces and saliva. This hormone can inform the quality of rearing system and transportation of the animals. The main techniques applied for determination of this hormone are radioimmunoassay and ELISA (Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay). The haptoglobin also has been used to evaluate the level of animal well-being. This study aims to evaluate the effect of transport with short and long duration and two pre-slaughter waiting periods in the stress level and meat quality of lambs. (AU)

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

ISSAKOWICZ, Ana Claudia Koki Sampaio. Effects of transport and lairage period in the welfare and meat quality of lamb. 2016. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Centro de Energia Nuclear na Agricultura (CENA/STB) Piracicaba.