Influence of pre-slaughter fasting time on weight loss, meat quality and carcass contamination in broilers

Ge Xue; Silu Cheng; Jingwen Yin; Runxiang Zhang; Yingying Su; Xiang Li; Jianhong Li; Jun Bao

doi:10.5713/ajas.20.0560

Animal Bioscience (Jun 2021)

Influence of pre-slaughter fasting time on weight loss, meat quality and carcass contamination in broilers

Ge Xue,
Silu Cheng,
Jingwen Yin,
Runxiang Zhang,
Yingying Su,
Xiang Li,
Jianhong Li,
Jun Bao

Affiliations

Ge Xue: College of Life Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150030, China
Silu Cheng: College of Life Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150030, China
Jingwen Yin: College of Life Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150030, China
Runxiang Zhang: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150030, China
Yingying Su: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150030, China
Xiang Li: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150030, China
Jianhong Li: College of Life Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150030, China
Jun Bao: College of Animal Science and Technology, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150030, China

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.20.0560
Journal volume & issue: Vol. 34, no. 6
pp. 1070 – 1077

Abstract

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Objective An experiment was conducted to determine the appropriate fasting time prior to slaughter for broilers in floor-feed and scatter-feed mode. Methods On 21 d since hatching, 120 Arbor Acres broilers were divided into floor-feed and scatter-feed groups, chicks from each group were further assigned to feed withdrawal treatments for 0, 4, 6, 8, and 10 h. Some resultant indicators such as carcass contamination, body weight loss, meat quality of 54-day-old broilers were measured. Results It appears that longer feed withdrawal increased weight loss, lightness, drop loss of meat but reduced pH. A significant higher weight loss and lightness for both floor-feed and scatter-feed chicks coincided after 6 to 10 h feed withdrawal (p<0.05). pH for breast muscle at 45 min postmortem reduced when chicks of scatter-feed were fasted 6 and 10 h, while the reduction of floor-feed group occurred only in 10 h (p<0.05). A noticeable effect of feed withdrawal on drop loss occurred after 10 h fasting in scatter-feed of which drop loss were significantly higher than that for other groups including control (p<0.05). The change of contamination propensity revealed that 6 to 10 h fasting significantly reduced the likelihood of carcass contamination under both floor-feed and scatter-feed (p<0.05). Net weights of intestinal contents for gizzard were significantly reduced after feed deprived for 10 h in floor-feed and 6 and 10 h in scatter-feed (p<0.05). The decrease for whole intestine occurred after floor-feed broilers have been without feed for more than 4 h, scatter-feed broilers for more than 8 h (p<0.05). Conclusion On the premise that poultry product properties and welfare were not significantly damaged, proper fasting time could reduce carcass contamination. Current data implied that 6 h fasting was recommendable for both floor and scatter feed pre-slaughter broilers.

Published in Animal Bioscience

ISSN: 2765-0189 (Print); 2765-0235 (Online)
Publisher: Asian-Australasian Association of Animal Production Societies
Country of publisher: Korea, Republic of
LCC subjects: Science: Zoology
Website: https://www.animbiosci.org/index.php

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