Both transport and slaughter of meat market animals are exposed to a variety of pain and fear which may cause stress. These factors must be removed that is important not only for ethical reasons but also meat quality. Moreover, stunning is a legal requirement according to European Council Directive 93/119/EC to ensure that animals are unconscious and insensitive to pain during the slaughter procedure.
In this study, twenty lambs of Dagli? breed were used to compare the effects of electrical stunning on initial meat quality and at 7 days postmortem. Lambs were distributed in two groups: electrical stunning, ritual slaughtering. Meat quality was evaluated by examining pH, colour and tenderness.
As a result. pH values decreased more rapidly than the control groups. Although stunning did not influence the instrumental colour and tenderness of the meat.