Effects of road type during transport on lamb welfare and meat quality in dry hot climates |
| |
Authors: | Genaro C. Miranda-de la Lama Paula Monge Morris Villarroel Jose Luis Olleta Sylvia García-Belenguer Gustavo A. María |
| |
Affiliation: | 1.Academic Unit of Libres, Faculty of Medicine Veterinary and Zootechics,Benemerita Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP),Puebla,Mexico;2.Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,University of Zaragoza,Zaragoza,Spain;3.Department of Animal Science,E.T.S.I.A. Polytechnic University of Madrid,Madrid,Spain;4.Department of Animal Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine,University of Zaragoza,Zaragoza,Spain;5.Departamento de Producción Animal, y Ciencia de los Alimentos, Facultad de Veterinaria,Universidad de Zaragoza,Zaragoza,Spain |
| |
Abstract: | This study determined whether transporting lambs on paved (PR) or unpaved roads (UR) for 3 h had an effect on plasma stress indicators (cortisol, lactate, glucose, creatine kinase [CK], red blood cells, white blood cells, hematocrit, and neutrophil/lymphocyte [N/L] ratio) and instrumental meat quality (pH24, bruising score, water holding capacity [WHC], color, and texture). A total of 48 Rasa Aragonesa male lambs were used that were approximately 100 days old (12.5 kg ± 1.64, carcass weight). The results suggest that transport on unpaved roads had a significant influence on physiological and hematological stress parameters. Road type had a significant effect on all variables, except for white and red blood cells, and hematocrit levels. The UR lambs had significantly higher (at least p ≤ 0.01) cortisol, lactate, glucose, and CK levels and a higher N/L ratio than PR lambs. Meat from UR lambs had some dark-cutting characteristics, with a darker color, higher ultimate pH, and higher tenderness values than PR. In conclusion, lambs transported on unpaved roads had a more intense stress response and poorer meat quality than lambs transported on paved roads. An effort to improve the logistics associated with route planning is necessary to prevent welfare problems during transport to slaughter. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 PubMed SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|