MODERN CATTLE SLAUGHTERING TECHNOLOGY AND ITS MEAT QUALITY

Slaughter technology has changed dramatically over the past 30 years. Methods of handling the alive animal immediately prior to slaughter, methods of stunning, killing, early postmortem handling, and carcass treatment have all seen technological advancement. The primary factors driving changes in these technical aspects of cattle slaughter have been to increase efficiency of commercial operations and the improvement of carcass and meat quality. This research has been done with the aim of identifying the quality of meat, chemical composition and nutritional value of meat from animals slaughtered with modern technology. During this research we took three samples, at different points of the cattle carcass. Sample points are: 1. Spine; 2. Chest and 3. Thigh. The samples were taken fresh immediately after slaughter, while the distance from industry to laboratory was about 1 hour. The amount for a sample was about 300 gr.The samples were packaged with vacuum to avoid the contamination or any damage. The samples were analyzed in the chemistry laboratory at the Kosovo Food and Veterinary Agency. Samples analysis was made by Food Scan with these parameters: protein, fat, moisture and collagen. Based on the above results, we see that the sample of spine is richer in protein and fat and the sample of chest is richer in moisture. In the sample of thigh, all parameters are lower than in two other samples. Since the Kosovo state doesn't have yet any official regulations for the limits of these parameters, based on the literature we have used, we see that the first sample exceed the value of the fat because by 5.2 it should have up to 4.8 based on the reference values, while the second and third samples exceed the value of moisture because by 74-76 it should have up to 70-73. However, exceeded values are minimal and we can’t say that the meat is of poor quality. At the end of the analysis, we have come to the conclusion that meat samples that we analyzed, although in some cases they had exceeded the limits, but were minimal. This makes us realize that the quality of the meat is good. If, at the end of the analysis, we would result in a concentration of moisture beyond the limits, or any other parameters, in that case we can say that is not good quality of meat.The reason why these three samples were taken for analysis is that we wanted to do the research of the quality of the meat at different points of the cattle carcass because as we know that is difficult to determine the quality of the whole carcass taking just one sample.Many factors may affect the nutritional content of the meat; one of many factors is animal welfare and stress before slaughter. The results obtained give us a conclusion that the animal had no stress before slaughter, animal welfare was respected and the meat is of good quality and has nutritional value.