Recent concerns about stunning and slaughter

• Published in: Meat science Vol. 70; no. 3; pp. 481 - 491
• Main Author: Gregory, N.G.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2005; Elsevier
• Subjects: beef cattle; Biological and medical sciences; bovine spongiform encephalopathy; BSE; Captive bolt stunning; Crustacea; Electrical stunning; electrical treatment; fish; Food industries; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gas stunning; gases; hemorrhage; livestock and meat industry; meat aging; Meat and meat product industries; meat quality; petchial hemorrhage; Petechial haemorrhage: meat quality; poultry; process monitoring; red meat; religion; Restraint; restraint of animals; Shechita; slaughter; BSE; Petechial haemorrhage: meat quality; Shechita; Restraint; Captive bolt stunning; Electrical stunning; Gas stunning; Quality; Meat product; Slaughter; Meat
• ISSN: 0309-1740; 1873-4138
• DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2004.06.026

This review summarises information that is relevant to concerns that have recently been expressed about stunning and slaughter. It is known that captive bolt stunning can result in brain material passing to the lungs via the jugular veins. If future studies show that BSE prions pass beyond the lungs to the edible carcass, there will be a move away from captive bolt stunning in large cattle towards electrical stunning. Greater use of electrical stunning in large cattle will increase the importance of blood splash in the beef industry. The theoretical causes of blood splash are reviewed to improve our understanding of this problem. In some situations it can be due to excessive venous pressure causing rupture of a capillary bed some distance from the source of the pressure rise, but it is not known whether this applies to electrical stunning. Gas stunning is replacing electrical stunning for poultry because it can reduce blood spots, which is a similar condition to blood splash. Several gas stunning methods are now being used, but it is not clear which of these is the most humane. Anoxic stunning leads to carcass convulsions and this causes more carcass damage. In fish, recent developments in electrical stunning are showing promise in overcoming problems with carcass damage. It is recommended that rock lobsters should be chilled or frozen before butchery, to ensure a humane death.