Effects of Pre-slaughter Management on Carcass Weight and Meat Quality

Fasting pigs before slaughter has many advantages such as feed saving (2-3 kganimal), and increased food safety by reducing the risk of viscera rupture and pathogen contamination of carcasses during the evisceration process (Miller et al., 1997). Other potential advantages are an improvement in meat quality (Tarrant, 1989). Indeed, some studies have shown that fasting before slaughter improves meat colour (D'Souza et al., 1998; Eikelenboom et al., 1991) and ultimate pH (Beattie et al., 1999; D'Souza et al., 1998; Eikelenboom et al., 1991; Jones et al., 1985; Warriss et Brown, 1983). However, fasting can reduce live weight and carcass weight (Murray and Jones, 1994; Warriss, 1985; Wittmann et al., 1994). It is therefore important to control fasting duration to take advantage of the improvement in meat safety and quality, without compromising carcass weight. Magras et al. (2000) obtained a fasting efficiency of 95% after 16 hours of food withdrawal, with pigs that had been fed ad libitum. Restricted fed pigs required a longer fasting duration. In Quebec, only a small percentage of pork producers (about 10%) fast their pigs before slaughter, and they do so for a maximum of 12 hours before slaughter. The main reasons stated by producers for not fasting the animals are the lack of proper facilities, the increased work load and the fear of reducing pig performance (Viau and Champagne, 1998). The goal of our experiment was therefore to compare four methods of food withdrawal by measuring their effects on live weight, carcass weight, stomach weight and meat quality. These preslaughter procedures were tested under two feeding methods and at two slaughter times. Materials and Methods