| Summary: | The study examined the effects of pre-slaughter gas stunning and slaughter without stunning on
meat quality and skeletal muscle proteome of broiler chickens. Fifty Cobb broiler chickens were
randomly assigned to either a neck cut without pre-slaughter stunning (Halal slaughter) or pre-
slaughter gas stunning followed by a neck cut. Samples of
Pectoralis major
muscle at 7 min, 4 h and
24 h postmortem were analyzed for pH, shear force, color, drip and cooking losses. Proteome profile
of the 7 min samples was examined by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Birds
subjected to Halal slaughter had higher (
P<
0.05) redness than those gas stunned at 4 and 24 h
postmortem. Gas-stunned birds had lower (
P<
0.05) muscle pH and shear force and higher
(
P<
0.05) drip and cooking losses compared with those subjected to Halal slaughter throughout
postmortem storage. Gas stunning up-regulated (
P<
0.05) the expression of beta-enolase, pyruvate
kinase and creatine kinase compared with Halal slaughter. Results indicate that pre-slaughter gas
stunning hastened postmortem energy metabolism and had detrimental effects on the water
holding capacity and redness of broiler breast muscles
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