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Effects of road type during transport on lamb welfare and meat quality in dry hot climates

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Abstract

This study determined whether transporting lambs on paved (PR) or unpaved roads (UR) for 3 h had an effect on plasma stress indicators (cortisol, lactate, glucose, creatine kinase [CK], red blood cells, white blood cells, hematocrit, and neutrophil/lymphocyte [N/L] ratio) and instrumental meat quality (pH24, bruising score, water holding capacity [WHC], color, and texture). A total of 48 Rasa Aragonesa male lambs were used that were approximately 100 days old (12.5 kg ± 1.64, carcass weight). The results suggest that transport on unpaved roads had a significant influence on physiological and hematological stress parameters. Road type had a significant effect on all variables, except for white and red blood cells, and hematocrit levels. The UR lambs had significantly higher (at least p ≤ 0.01) cortisol, lactate, glucose, and CK levels and a higher N/L ratio than PR lambs. Meat from UR lambs had some dark-cutting characteristics, with a darker color, higher ultimate pH, and higher tenderness values than PR. In conclusion, lambs transported on unpaved roads had a more intense stress response and poorer meat quality than lambs transported on paved roads. An effort to improve the logistics associated with route planning is necessary to prevent welfare problems during transport to slaughter.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (project AGL2005-00208). The authors would like to thank the cooperative Oviaragon Grupo Pastores®, the slaughter plant Mercazaragoza®, and the laboratory personal for their help in carrying out the field work.

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Author notes

  1. Genaro C. Miranda-de la Lama

    Present address: Departamento de Producción Animal, y Ciencia de los Alimentos, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Zaragoza, Miguel Servet 177, 50013, Zaragoza, Spain

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Academic Unit of Libres, Faculty of Medicine Veterinary and Zootechics, Benemerita Autonomous University of Puebla (BUAP), Puebla, Mexico

    Genaro C. Miranda-de la Lama

  2. Department of Animal Production and Food Science, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    Paula Monge, Jose Luis Olleta & Gustavo A. María

  3. Department of Animal Science, E.T.S.I.A. Polytechnic University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Morris Villarroel

  4. Department of Animal Pathology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    Sylvia García-Belenguer

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  1. Genaro C. Miranda-de la Lama
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  2. Paula Monge
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  3. Morris Villarroel
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  4. Jose Luis Olleta
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  6. Gustavo A. María
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Correspondence to Genaro C. Miranda-de la Lama.

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Miranda-de la Lama, G.C., Monge, P., Villarroel, M. et al. Effects of road type during transport on lamb welfare and meat quality in dry hot climates. Trop Anim Health Prod 43, 915–922 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-011-9783-7

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