Technological improvement of the quality of beef from the aspect of transport of young cattle to slaughtering

Abstract

Results of author's own research as well as results obtained by other researchers are presented in this paper and relate to the effect of duration of transport on demonstration of stress syndrome in young cattle and on quality of meat. Stress syndrome in young cattle is caused by the stressor affecting the organism and bringing it into the state of stress. As consequence of the stress, prior to slaughtering, is occurrence of DFD syndrome. Such meat is characterized by special traits (Dark, Firm, Dry) which is the reason why it is called DFD meat. Until recently, research in the field of production of young cattle for slaughtering focused only on nutrition, reproduction and pathology issues, and reactions of animals to changes in their environment weren't much studied. Therefore, EU has passed set of directives and regulations referring to animal transport conditions. Significance of the application of mentioned directives and regulations is in providing minimum demands relating to welfare of animals and in the same way reduce to minimum stress factors which are especially harmful in beef production. Results of our investigation of pH24 M. longissimus dorsi in young bulls which were transported 150 km show that approximately one quarter (28%) of investigated muscles had pH24 6,0 or above this value. Contrary to this, values of pH24 M. longissimus dorsi in young bulls transported only 15 km were within allowed limits, meat had no DFD traits.

U radu su prikazani sopstveni rezultati i rezultati istraživanja drugih autora o uticaju dužine transporta na ispoljavanje stres sindroma junadi, a samim tim i na kvalitet mesa. Stres sindrom junadi nastaje usled delovanja stresora na organizam koji ga dovodi u stanje stresa. Posledica stresa neposredno pre klanja, je nastanak DFD-sindroma. Ovakvo meso se odlikuje posebnim karakteristikama (Dark-tamno, Firm-čvrsto, Dry-suvo) po čemu je i dobilo ime DFD-meso. Do nedavno istraživanja u oblasti proizvodnje junadi za klanje bila su posvećena samo problemima ishrane, reprodukcije i patologije dok su reakcije životinja na promene okoline malo izučavane. Zbog toga je EU donela čitav niz regulativa i propisa koji se odnose na uslove transporta životinja. Značaj primene ovih propisa i regulativa EU je u obezbeđivanju minimalnih zahteva za dobrobit određene vrste životinja a samim tim minimiziranju stres faktora koji su naročito štetni u proizvodnji junećeg mesa.Rezultati naših ispitivanja pH24 M. longissimus dorsi mladih bikova koji su transportovani 150 km pokazali su da je oko jedne četvrtine (28%) ispitivanih mišića imalo pH24 6,0 ili iznad toga. Nasuprot tome, vrednosti pH24 M. longissimus dorsi mladih bikova koji su transportovani 15 km kretale su se u dozvoljenim granicama; meso nije manifestovalo DFD-simptome.