A comparison of high current and low voltage electrical stunning systems on broiler breast rigor development and meat quality

Department of Poultry Science, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-2772, USA.

Experiments were conducted to compare the effects of a high current (HC) stunning system to a low voltage (LV) stunning system on broiler carcass and meat quality. A total of 360 broiler chickens were individually stunned using either 125 mA, 50 Hz, constant AC for 5 s (HC) or using 10.5 V, 500 Hz pulsed DC for 10 s (LV). Birds were individually weighted, killed by conventional neck cut, bled for 150 s, and reweighed to determine blood loss. Breast fillets (Pectoralis major) were removed from the carcass immediately after picking (0 h) or after aging for 24 h in a static ice-water slush. Breast muscle pH was determined at both 0 and 24 h. Raw breast meat color (CIELAB) and cooked breast meat Allo-Kramer shear values were determined on samples held at 2 C for 48 h. The LV stunning treatment significantly increased (P < 0.05) blood loss (4.0 vs 3.7%) and significantly reduced initial muscle pH (6.47 vs 6.67) when compared to the HC stunning treatment. There were no significant differences between the stunning systems for 24 h pH, raw breast color, and Allo-Kramer shear. High current stunning reduced initial blood loss and delayed early rigor development compared to the LV treatment, but appeared to have little effect on final meat quality.