Effect of diet and pre-slaughter stress of beef cattle on biochemical profile and physicochemical parameters.

PIGHIN, D; DAVIES, P; PAZOS, A; CECONI, I; CUNZOLO, S; MENDEZ, D; BUFFARINI, M; GRIGIONI G

Ghent

Congreso; ICoMST 2011; 2011

Diet and pre slaughter stress seem to be related to the post mortem glycolysis and pH-T curve, with possible implications to meat quality. Forty animals from Angus breed were assigned to two different finishing diets -60 days-: grain diet and pasture diet. At slaughterhouse, both groups were divided into two subgroups: low stress and traditional stress. Diet impacted on serum insulin levels, adipose tissue color -L* and b*- and pH/T conditions of LD muscle. The level of stress treatment impacted on plasma glucose and lactic acid levels, adipose tissue redness and the rate of muscle anaerobic glycolysis, observed in the pH-T curve. Blood hematocrit showed an interaction of both effects. WHC of LD was not affected neither by diet nor by stress treatments.