Effects of slaughter knife sharpness on blood biochemical and electroencephalogram changes in cattle
The sharpness of the knife used for slaughter is of the utmost importance from an animal welfare perspective. The quantification of knife sharpness is almost impossible in abattoirs. The sharpness of the knife blade used to slaughter an animal, as well as its effects on animals’ pain and stress leve...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI
2020
|
| Online Access: | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/38139/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/38139/1/38139.pdf |
| _version_ | 1848848796116582400 |
|---|---|
| author | Imlan, Jurhamid Columbres Kaka, Ubedullah Goh, Yong Meng Idrus, Zulkifli Mohamed, Elmutaz Atta Awad Abubakar, Ahmed Abubakar Ahmad, Tanbir Hassan Nizam, Quaza Nizamuddin Sazili, Awis Qurni |
| author_facet | Imlan, Jurhamid Columbres Kaka, Ubedullah Goh, Yong Meng Idrus, Zulkifli Mohamed, Elmutaz Atta Awad Abubakar, Ahmed Abubakar Ahmad, Tanbir Hassan Nizam, Quaza Nizamuddin Sazili, Awis Qurni |
| author_sort | Imlan, Jurhamid Columbres |
| building | UPM Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The sharpness of the knife used for slaughter is of the utmost importance from an animal welfare perspective. The quantification of knife sharpness is almost impossible in abattoirs. The sharpness of the knife blade used to slaughter an animal, as well as its effects on animals’ pain and stress levels, is an important area of investigation that needs to be addressed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of knife sharpness on blood biochemical parameters, plasma catecholamines, and electroencephalographic (EEG) responses. Twenty Brahman crossbred steers were either subjected to slaughter with a sharp knife (n = 10) or a commercial sharp knife (n = 10); knife sharpness was measured with the ANAGO® sharpness tester. There was significant increase in adrenaline (p < 0.0001), glucose (p = 0.0167), creatinine kinase (p = 0.0123) and lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.0151) at post-slaughter compared to pre-slaughter in commercial sharp knife group than in the sharp knife group. A significant increase was observed in the median frequency (p < 0.0001) and total power (p < 0.0001) of the EEG, the parameters for pain and stress, in the animals slaughtered with the commercial sharp knife than those slaughtered with the sharp knife. Thus, EEG results also supported the hormonal and biochemical results. From the results, it is concluded that animals slaughtered with a sharp knife experienced the least amount of pain and stress compared to those slaughtered with a commercial sharp knife. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-15T09:40:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | upm-38139 |
| institution | Universiti Putra Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-15T09:40:11Z |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publisher | MDPI |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | upm-381392020-05-03T22:56:30Z http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/38139/ Effects of slaughter knife sharpness on blood biochemical and electroencephalogram changes in cattle Imlan, Jurhamid Columbres Kaka, Ubedullah Goh, Yong Meng Idrus, Zulkifli Mohamed, Elmutaz Atta Awad Abubakar, Ahmed Abubakar Ahmad, Tanbir Hassan Nizam, Quaza Nizamuddin Sazili, Awis Qurni The sharpness of the knife used for slaughter is of the utmost importance from an animal welfare perspective. The quantification of knife sharpness is almost impossible in abattoirs. The sharpness of the knife blade used to slaughter an animal, as well as its effects on animals’ pain and stress levels, is an important area of investigation that needs to be addressed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of knife sharpness on blood biochemical parameters, plasma catecholamines, and electroencephalographic (EEG) responses. Twenty Brahman crossbred steers were either subjected to slaughter with a sharp knife (n = 10) or a commercial sharp knife (n = 10); knife sharpness was measured with the ANAGO® sharpness tester. There was significant increase in adrenaline (p < 0.0001), glucose (p = 0.0167), creatinine kinase (p = 0.0123) and lactate dehydrogenase (p = 0.0151) at post-slaughter compared to pre-slaughter in commercial sharp knife group than in the sharp knife group. A significant increase was observed in the median frequency (p < 0.0001) and total power (p < 0.0001) of the EEG, the parameters for pain and stress, in the animals slaughtered with the commercial sharp knife than those slaughtered with the sharp knife. Thus, EEG results also supported the hormonal and biochemical results. From the results, it is concluded that animals slaughtered with a sharp knife experienced the least amount of pain and stress compared to those slaughtered with a commercial sharp knife. MDPI 2020 Article PeerReviewed text en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/38139/1/38139.pdf Imlan, Jurhamid Columbres and Kaka, Ubedullah and Goh, Yong Meng and Idrus, Zulkifli and Mohamed, Elmutaz Atta Awad and Abubakar, Ahmed Abubakar and Ahmad, Tanbir and Hassan Nizam, Quaza Nizamuddin and Sazili, Awis Qurni (2020) Effects of slaughter knife sharpness on blood biochemical and electroencephalogram changes in cattle. Animals, 10 (4). art. no. 579. pp. 1-17. ISSN 2076-2615 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/10/4/579 10.3390/ani10040579 |
| spellingShingle | Imlan, Jurhamid Columbres Kaka, Ubedullah Goh, Yong Meng Idrus, Zulkifli Mohamed, Elmutaz Atta Awad Abubakar, Ahmed Abubakar Ahmad, Tanbir Hassan Nizam, Quaza Nizamuddin Sazili, Awis Qurni Effects of slaughter knife sharpness on blood biochemical and electroencephalogram changes in cattle |
| title | Effects of slaughter knife sharpness on blood biochemical and electroencephalogram changes in cattle |
| title_full | Effects of slaughter knife sharpness on blood biochemical and electroencephalogram changes in cattle |
| title_fullStr | Effects of slaughter knife sharpness on blood biochemical and electroencephalogram changes in cattle |
| title_full_unstemmed | Effects of slaughter knife sharpness on blood biochemical and electroencephalogram changes in cattle |
| title_short | Effects of slaughter knife sharpness on blood biochemical and electroencephalogram changes in cattle |
| title_sort | effects of slaughter knife sharpness on blood biochemical and electroencephalogram changes in cattle |
| url | http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/38139/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/38139/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/38139/ http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/38139/1/38139.pdf |