Authors : P. Polidori , F. Fantuz and F. Polidori
Abstract: Forty crossbred wether lambs, yielding carcasses with a mean weight of 40 kg, were slaughtered, exsanguinated and divided into two groups. The first twenty lambs were electrically stimulated five minutes after slaughtering (50 Volts, 60 Hz frequency, 60 sec) the second group was used as an unstimulated control. All the carcasses were stored in a cold room at a temperature of 1 C. The internal temperature and the pH values of the Longissimus thoracis (LT) muscle was measured in all the carcasses at 1, 3, 6, 10 and 24 h after slaughtering. Twenty-four h after slaughtering, from all the carcasses, 150 g of muscle LT were excised for palatability tests and for shear force value determination. Stimulation caused a significant (P<0.05) acceleration of glycolysis at 1 and 3 h after slaughtering compared with that in unstimulated carcasses. No significant differences were found between control and treated group as regard flavour desirability, overall palatability and overall tenderness.
P. Polidori , F. Fantuz and F. Polidori , 2004. Effects of Low Voltage Electrical Stimulation of Wether Lambs Carcasses . Journal of Animal and Veterinary Advances, 3: 626-629.