PROCESSING AND PRODUCTS Effects of Feed Deprivation and Electrical, Gas, and Captive Needle Stunning on Early Postmortem Muscle Metabolism and Subsequent Meat Quality

ABSTRACT The general method for stunning poultry before slaughter is by immersion of a chicken’s head into an electrified waterbath. This method results in carcass and meat quality deficiencies. The major problems are hemorrhages and a delay in onset of rigor mortis, which increases the risk of cold shortening with early deboning. In two experiments, this study examines the early post-mortem metabolism in the breast muscle and its effect on ultimate meat quality. The first experiment describes the effects of 5 h feed deprivation on the availability of glycogen from the liver and the breast muscle, of wa-terbath and head-only electrical stunning on pH and me-tabolite levels up to 6 h in unprocessed muscle, and the consequences on meat quality. The second experiment compares the same measurements after waterbath and (Key words: electrical stunning, gas stunning, captive needle stunning, early postmortem muscle metabolism, meat quality