title: Plasma variables, meat quality, and glycolytic potential in broilers stunned with different carbon dioxide concentrations.
abstract: This study aimed to investigate the effects of different CO(2) concentrations on blood variables, glycolytic potential (GP), and meat quality of hot-boned muscles in broilers. Thirty broilers were exposed to one of the following 5 gas mixtures for 90 s: 40% CO(2) + 30% O(2) + N(2) (control), 30% CO(2) + 21% O(2) + N(2) (G30%), 40% CO(2) + 21% O(2) + N(2) (G40%), 50% CO(2) + 21% O(2) + N(2) (G50%), and 60% CO(2) + 21% O(2) + N(2) (G60%). Samples were taken from the pectoralis major (PM), musculus iliofibularis (MI), and tibialis anterior muscles 45 min postmortem. The ultimate pH in both the PM (vs. G30% and G40%) and MI (vs. G40%) was decreased with G60% (P < 0.05), whereas drip loss in the PM (vs. G30%, P = 0.01) was increased with G60%. Drip loss in the MI (vs. control and G30%, P < 0.01) was increased with G50%. Lightness after 24 h in PM (vs. G30% and G40%, P < 0.01) was increased with G50%. In MI, lightness after 24 h was slightly decreased with G40% compared with the control (P < 0.10). The GP value in the PM was lower in the G30% and G40% than in G60% (P < 0.05), and the GP value in the tibialis anterior was the lowest in G30% (P < 0.01). Plasma corticosterone, plasma glucose, and meat quality (pH, lightness, redness, yellowness) 45 min postmortem were not affected by CO(2) levels (P > 0.05). In conclusion, stunning broilers with low CO(2) levels (30 and 40%) improved meat quality but had no advantage in animal welfare compared with high CO(2) levels (50 and 60%).
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Feed Biotechnology of Ministry of Agriculture, Feed Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.forename: H Y
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Yue
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: G H
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Qi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001773:Blood Cells; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D002645:Chickens / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008460:Meat / Q000592:standards*; D011180:Postmortem Changes; D014474:Unconsciousness / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000662:veterinary*
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide