Effects of preslaughter stress on meat quality and phosphocalcic metabolism in Camels (Camelus dromedarius)

It's broadly known that feeding and conditions under which the animals are produced, transported and slaughtered may influence the oxidative stability of the meat and several physiological functions. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of preslaughter stress on meat quality and physiological responses in dromedary camels and their correlation with phosphocalcic metabolism. Animals used in this experimentation were clinically healthy. They were subjected to a long transportation stressor (TS) or remained unstressed before slaughter (NS). Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein. Muscle glycogen and pH were measured on samples from longissimus muscle collected at 15 min and 24 h postmortem. The TS camels had higher plasma Cortisol, Thyroxine and glucose (P < 0.05) concentrations than NS camels. In contrast, plasma concentrations of sodium, potassium, calcium, inorganic phosphorus, Parathormone and 25-Hydroxyvitamin D in TS and NS camels showed no significant difference. These results indicate that long-term preslaughter transport can cause noticeable changes in stress responses and muscle metabolism, without any variation of phosphocalcic metabolism hormons in camels. (Texte intégral