Free Standard AU & NZ Shipping For All Book Orders Over $80!
Register      Login
Animal Production Science Animal Production Science Society
Food, fibre and pharmaceuticals from animals
Shopping Cart: ( empty )
You are here: Home > Journals > AN > EA05326
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 46(7)

Effectiveness of electrolytes at alleviating dehydration and improving carcass characteristics of adult sheep in lairage

E. S. Toohey A C , D. L. Hopkins A and S. G. Nielsen B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A The Australian Sheep Industry Cooperative Research Centre, NSW Department of Primary Industries, Centre for Sheep Meat Development, PO Box 129, Cowra, NSW 2794, Australia.

B NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange Agricultural Institute, Forest Road Orange, NSW 2800, Australia.

C Corresponding author. Email: edwina.toohey@dpi.nsw.gov.au

Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46(7) 903-908 https://doi.org/10.1071/EA05326
Submitted: 18 November 2005  Accepted: 4 May 2006   Published: 8 June 2006

Abstract

The aim of this work was to examine the effectiveness of a commercial electrolyte mixture in alleviating dehydration and improving carcass characteristics of adult sheep under commercial processing conditions. Two separate experiments were conducted to investigate this aim. Experiment 1 had 2 hydration treatments (water with and without electrolytes) and sheep commenced their treatments on their arrival at the abattoir. Animals were then slaughtered at the lairage times of 24, 48 or 72 h. Experiment 2 had the same treatments and an additional no water (no electrolyte) treatment. In the second experiment only, animals from each of the treatment groups were allocated into 2 stimulation groups, so that on the production line the carcasses were either treated with high voltage stimulation or not treated. Experiment 2 animals were grazed for 2 weeks at the abattoir prior to commencement of the treatments. Animals were slaughtered after a lairage time of 24, 48 or 72 h, except for animals on the no-water treatment: these animals had lairage times of 24 or 48 h only. It was found in both experiments that there was no difference (P>0.05) between the water treatments for all carcass and meat quality traits measured. Lairage time had an effect (P<0.05) on urine specific gravity in both experiments. Urine specific gravity decreased as lairage time increased in experiment 1, but an opposing trend was found in experiment 2. In experiment 1, as lairage time increased, GR (total tissue depth at the 12th rib) decreased. Electrical stimulation in experiment 2 lowered (P<0.05) the initial pH and interacted with lairage time causing differences in cook loss for meat aged for 1 or 7 days, but had no impact on other traits.

Additional keywords: dehydration, electrical stimulation, electrolytes.


Acknowledgments

The financial support provided by the Australian Sheep Industry CRC is greatly acknowledged. The valuable support and assistance of the management and staff of the meat processing company was paramount in the successful completion of this work and this is acknowledged. Leonie Martin (NSW DPI) is also thanked for her skilled technical assistance.


References


Anon. (1992) ‘AUS-MEAT language.’ 4th edn. (Authority for Uniform Specification Meat and Livestock: Sydney)

Apple JK, Unruh JA, Minton JE, Bartlett JL (1993) Influence of repeated restraint and isolation stress and electrolyte administration on carcass quality and muscle electrolyte content of sheep. Meat Science 35, 191–203.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Devine CE , Hopkins DL , Hwang IH , Ferguson DD , Richards I (2004) Electrical Stimulation. In ‘Encyclopedia of Meat Sciences’. (Eds W Jensen, C Devine, M Dikeman) pp. 413–423. (Elsevier: Oxford)

Dransfield E, Etherington DJ, Taylor MAJ (1992) Modelling post-mortem tenderization: II: Enzyme changes during storage of electrically stimulated and non-stimulated beef. Meat Science 31, 75–84.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Gilmour AR , Cullis BR , Gogel GJ , Welham SJ , Thompson R (2002) ‘ASReml User Guide Release 1.0.’ (NSW Agriculture: Orange)

Gortel K, Schaefer AL, Young BA, Kawamoto SC (1992) Effect of transport stress and electrolyte supplementation on body fluids and weights of bulls. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 72, 547–553. open url image1

Gregory NG (1996) Welfare and hygiene during pre slaughter handling. Meat Science 43, 35–46.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Hopkins DL, Toohey ES (2006) Eating quality of conventionally chilled sheep meat. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46, 897–901. open url image1

Jacob RH, Davidson RH (2006) The use of a commercial electrolyte replacer to improve hydration status of slaughter lambs. Animal Production in Australia ,  – . open url image1

Jacob RH, Walker PJ, Skerritt JW, Davidson RH, Hopkins DL, Thompson JM, Pethick DW (2005) The effect of lairage time on consumer sensory scores of the M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum from lambs and lactating ewes. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45, 535–542.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Jacob RH, Pethick DW, Hopkins DL, Souza DD, Clarke P, White J (2006a) Quantifying the hydration status of fasted lambs in relation to carcass characteristics. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46, 429–437.
| Crossref |
open url image1

Jacob RH, Pethick DW, Ponnampalam E, Speijers J, Hopkins DL (2006b) The hydration status of lambs after lairage at two Australian abattoirs. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 46, 909–912.
| Crossref |
open url image1

Jeremiah LE, Schaefer AL, Gibson LL (1992) The effects of ante-mortem feed and water withdrawal, ante-mortem electrolyte supplementation, and post-mortem electrical stimulation on the palatability and consumer acceptance of bull beef after ageing. Meat Science 32, 149–160.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Pearce KL, Jacob RH, Masters DG, Pethick DW, Power D, White G (2004) Lambs grazed on saltbush are more hydrated at slaughter. Animal Production in Australia 25, 298– . open url image1

Schaefer AL, Jones SDM, Tong AKW, Young BA (1990) Effects of transport and electrolyte supplementation on ion concentrations, carcass yield and quality in bulls. Canadian Journal of Animal Science 70, 107–119. open url image1

Schaefer AL, Jones SDM, Tong AKW, Young BA, Murray NL, Lepage P (1992) Effects of post-transport electrolyte supplementation on tissue electrolytes, hematology, urine osmolality and weight loss in beef bulls. Livestock Production Science 30, 333–346.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Schaefer AL, Jones SDM, Stanley RW (1997) The use of electrolyte solutions for reducing transport stress. Journal of Animal Science 75, 258–265.
| PubMed |
open url image1

Shaw FD, Baud SR, Richards I, Pethick DW, Walker PJ, Thompson JM (2005) New electrical stimulation technologies for sheep carcasses. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45, 575–583.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Thompson JM, O’Halloran WJ, McNeill DMJ, Jackson-Hope NJ, May TJ (1987) The effect of fasting on liveweight and carcass characteristics in lambs. Meat Science 20, 293–309.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Thompson JM, Gee A, Hopkins DL, Pethick DW, Baud SR, O’Halloran WJ (2005) Sheep meat eating quality: Development of sensory protocol for testing palatability of sheep meats. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 45, 469–476.
| Crossref | GoogleScholarGoogle Scholar | open url image1

Warner RD , Cotrell JJ , D’Souza DN , Kerr M , Bond J (2002) The effect of time off water pre-slaughter on lamb meat quality. In ‘48th International Congress of Meat Science and Technology’. pp. 368–69. (The Congress: Rome)