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. 2022 Oct 20;54(6):353.
doi: 10.1007/s11250-022-03352-y.

Carcass traits and meat quality of lambs slaughtered during different seasonal conditions

Volmir Antônio Polli  1 , Amoracyr José Costa Nuñez  2 , Renius Oliveira Mello  3 , Sérgio Carvalho  4 , João Restle  5 , Pablo Tavares Costa  6 , Juliano Smanioto Barin  3 , André Fogaça Nigeliskii  4 , Dejanir Pissinin  1 , Ricardo Zambarda Vaz  6
Affiliations

Carcass traits and meat quality of lambs slaughtered during different seasonal conditions

Volmir Antônio Polli et al. Trop Anim Health Prod. .

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of slaughtering feedlot Texel lambs during different climatic conditions on carcass and meat quality traits. Twenty castrated male Texel lambs (21.8 ± 0.62 kg) were distributed to two treatments according to the climatic conditions during the finishing period and at pre-slaughter: warm season (WS; mean temperature of 23.4 °C and 77.5% relative humidity) and cool season (CS; mean temperature of 14.9 °C and 79.5% relative humidity). During the pre-slaughter, thermal comfort was evaluated through the variables: respiratory frequency, rectal temperature, temperature of the ocular region, and temperature-humidity index (THI). After the finishing period, lambs were slaughtered, and carcass and meat quality traits were assessed. The THI values indicate that animals harvested in the WS spent 13 h of the day under potential thermal discomfort conditions in the week before slaughter and in the pre-slaughter period, whereas lambs harvested in the CS did not experience any thermal discomfort. Slaughter weight, carcass weight, carcass dressing, and backfat thickness were greater (P ≤ 0.03), whereas cooling losses were lower (P < 0.01) for lambs slaughtered in the CS. Moreover, thawing losses were lower (P < 0.01), whereas cooking losses were greater (P < 0.01) for lambs harvested in the CS. Lambs slaughtered in the CS also showed greater meat redness, yellowness, and chroma values (P < 0.05). Although carcass traits were affected by the greater thermal discomfort exposure, meat quality of lambs was less impacted by the climatic conditions at slaughter.

Keywords: Animal welfare; Pre-slaughter; Sheep; Temperature-humidity index; Thermal comfort.

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