title: Ostrich slaughter and fabrication: 1. Slaughter yields of carcasses and effects of electrical stimulation on post-mortem pH.
abstract: A commercial ostrich slaughter protocol was developed. Ostriches (n = 7 males and n = 7 females) averaged 95.54 kg live weight and yielded 55.91-kg carcasses. By-product yields were measured. The most significant by-products by weight were full viscera (8.29 kg), hide (6.71 kg), full gizzard and crop (5.80 kg), and abdominal fat (4.11 kg). Sex had no effect on slaughter yields. Post-mortem temperature declines were measured on five separate muscles and showed that chilling for 24 h was sufficient to adequately chill the deep muscle temperature to under 4 C. The effect of electrical stimulation on post-mortem pH decline also was investigated and had no effect.
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal Science, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843-2471, USA.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: May
authors.forename: T C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Jackson
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Hale
authors.forename: R K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Keeton
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Acuff
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Lucia
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Savell
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001717:Birds; D001835:Body Weight; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D005260:Female; D005511:Food Handling / Q000379:methods*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors; D013696:Temperature