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Kumar P, Abubakar AA, Imlan JC, Ahmed MA, Goh YM, Kaka U, Idrus Z, Sazili AQ. Importance of Knife Sharpness during Slaughter: Shariah and Kosher Perspective and Scientific Validation. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:1751. [PMID: 37889669 PMCID: PMC10251950 DOI: 10.3390/ani13111751] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Halal and kosher slaughter have given the utmost importance to the sharpness of knives during the slaughter of animals. A sharp knife of appropriate dimension (blade length) makes slaughter less painful during neck severance and facilitates desirable bleeding. The role of knife sharpness has not been given due credit from an animal welfare perspective and is likely ignored by the people involved in slaughterhouses. A neat, clean, and efficient neck cut by an extremely sharp knife reduces the pain. It improves the bleeding out, thus making animals unconscious early without undergoing unnecessary pain and stress. It also helps in improving meat quality and food safety. A slight incremental improvement in knife sharpness could significantly improve the animal welfare, productivity, efficiency, and safety of meat plant workers. The present review critically analyzed the significance of knife sharpness in religious slaughter by reducing stress and pain and improving meat quality and food safety. The objective quantification of knife sharpness, proper regular training of slaughterers, and slow slaughter rate are the challenges faced by the meat industry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavan Kumar
- Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia; (P.K.); (A.A.A.); (M.A.A.); (Z.I.)
- Department of Livestock Products Technology, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana 141004, Punjab, India
| | - Ahmed Abubakar Abubakar
- Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia; (P.K.); (A.A.A.); (M.A.A.); (Z.I.)
| | - Jurhamid Columbres Imlan
- Department of Animal Science, College of Agriculture, University of Southern Mindanao, Cotabato 9407, Philippines;
| | - Muideen Adewale Ahmed
- Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia; (P.K.); (A.A.A.); (M.A.A.); (Z.I.)
| | - Yong-Meng Goh
- Department of Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia;
| | - Ubedullah Kaka
- Department of Companion Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia;
- Halal Products Research Institute, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Putra Infoport, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Zulkifli Idrus
- Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia; (P.K.); (A.A.A.); (M.A.A.); (Z.I.)
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Awis Qurni Sazili
- Halal Products Research Institute, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Putra Infoport, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia
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Electroencephalogram and Physiological Responses as Affected by Slaughter Empathy in Goats. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13061100. [PMID: 36978640 PMCID: PMC10044356 DOI: 10.3390/ani13061100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Revised: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/22/2023] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in emotions and cognitive science make it imperative to assess the emotional stress in goats at the time of slaughter. The present study was envisaged to study the electroencephalogram and physiological responses as affected by slaughter empathy in goats. A total of 12 goats were divided into two groups viz., E-group (goats exposed to slaughter environment, n = 6) and S-group (goat slaughtered in front of E-group, n = 6). The electroencephalogram and physiological responses in male Boer cross goats (E-group) were recorded in a slaughterhouse in two stages viz., control (C) without exposure to the slaughter of conspecifics and treatment (T) while visualizing the slaughter of conspecifics (S—slaughter group). The exposure of the goat to the slaughter of a conspecific resulted in a heightened emotional state. It caused significant alterations in neurobiological activity as recorded with the significant changes in the EEG spectrum (beta waves (p = 0.000491), theta waves (p = 0.017), and median frequency MF or F50 (p = 0.002)). Emotional stress was also observed to significantly increase blood glucose (p = 0.031) and a non-significant (p = 0.225) increase in heart rate in goats. Thus, slaughter empathy was observed to exert a significant effect on the electric activity of neurons in the cerebrocortical area of the brain and an increase in blood glucose content.
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Davis M, Sullivan P, Bretón J, Dean L, Edwards-Callaway L. Investigating the impact of pre-slaughter management factors on indicators of fed beef cattle welfare – a scoping review. FRONTIERS IN ANIMAL SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fanim.2022.1073849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
IntroductionThe impact of pre-slaughter management practices on fed beef cattle welfare is a multifaceted and well researched subject matter. Factors such as transportation, handling, lairage time and several animal characteristics can directly impact the cattle’s behavior, mobility, blood lactate and cortisol levels, likelihood of injury and ultimately overall cattle welfare. Animal welfare continues to grow as a critical component of slaughter in the fed beef industry, yet a formal review of related research does not exist.MethodsA scoping review was performed in order to (1) catalog pre-slaughter management factors that impact fed beef cattle welfare at the time of slaughter, (2) identify indicators used to evaluate the impact of pre-slaughter management on fed beef cattle welfare at slaughter, and (3) gain further understanding of the relationship between pre-slaughter management factors and fed beef cattle welfare outcome indicators at slaughter. Three data bases were ultimately searched: PubMed, CAB Abstracts, and Web of Science. The concepts used in the database searches were the population of interest (i.e., fed beef cattle), the location in the supply chain, preslaughter management factors, and welfare outcomes.ResultsA total of 69 studies were included in final analysis for this review, including studies from six geographic regions around the globe. Studies involving alternative slaughter methods (e.g., religious stunning or mobile slaughter) were not included in the formal analysis of this review, but still merited an in-depth discussion within this paper. After reviewing the studies, a total of 37 pre-slaughter factors and 69 indicators of welfare were measured throughout. Pre-slaughter management factors were then categorized by: animal characteristics; environmental characteristics; handling; lairage; transportation; and water/feed. Outcomeindicators of welfare were categorized into: behaviors; health, injury and disease; physiological; and stunning and insensibility.DiscussionPre-slaughter factors relating to transportation and handling, and welfare outcomes measured by behaviors and physiology were of the most researched throughout the studies.The results of this review offer a catalogue of commonly researched factors and indicators of welfare measured during the pre-slaughter phase, as well ast he relationships between them. This review also offers further substantial evidence that a multitude of events in the pre-slaughter phase affect fed beef cattle welfare and a collection of highly applicable welfare indicators to expedite further research on the effects of pre-slaughter factors and the application of improved practices.
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Kumar P, Abubakar AA, Sazili AQ, Kaka U, Goh YM. Application of Electroencephalography in Preslaughter Management: A Review. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12202857. [PMID: 36290243 PMCID: PMC9597730 DOI: 10.3390/ani12202857] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2022] [Revised: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 09/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) can be reliable for assessing the brain’s electrical activity of preslaughter stress and pain. The duration between the ventral neck cut and induction of a state of unconsciousness/insensibility is crucial in the slaughtering of animals, reducing pain, fear, and distress. Various EEG variables, such as median frequency (F50), the total power of EEG spectrum (Ptot), waves patterns (amplitude and frequencies), epileptiform EEG, index of consciousness, and isoelectric EEG, are used to identify a valid indicator of the state of unconsciousness. Association among various behavioral, physiological, and hematological parameters with EEG variables could provide an overall assessment and deep insights into the animal stress levels or welfare status during various managemental and preslaughter operations, such as transport, stunning, and slaughtering operations. The application of EEG could help in further refining the stunning technologies and slaughter protocols in livestock, poultry, and fish. The present review analyzed the application of EEG as a neurophysiological tool for assessing animal welfare during the critical state of preslaughter handling and slaughter, thus ensuring proper compliance with animal welfare principles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pavan Kumar
- Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
- Department of Livestock Products Technology, College of Veterinary Science, Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Ludhiana 141004, India
| | - Ahmed A. Abubakar
- Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Food Security, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
| | - Awis Qurni Sazili
- Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
- Halal Products Research Institute, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
| | - Ubedullah Kaka
- Halal Products Research Institute, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
- Department of Companion Animal Medicine and Surgery, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
- Correspondence: (U.K.); (Y.-M.G.)
| | - Yong-Meng Goh
- Department of Veterinary Preclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Malaysia
- Correspondence: (U.K.); (Y.-M.G.)
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