Harvest of Carcasses

Question 1

Procedures and areas in slaughter house

Answer 1

Dirty area
Clean area with quality assessment
Further processing of the carcass

Question 2

Procedures in the slaughter house - dirty area

Answer 2

Arrival
Assesment live animal
Waiting period
Push forward
Stunning
Kiling/blood removal
Skin treatment
Evisceration

Question 3

Stunning

Answer 3

Methods have impact on meat quality

Cattle: captive bolt

Pigs: electrical stunning and CO2

Poultry: electrical with diving bath (wet contact procedure)
animal welfare: CO2 (ventilators to remove air from feathers)

Question 4

Skin treatment

Answer 4

pig: steaming, mechanical bristle removal, flame treatment
poultry: steaming, removal of feathers

Question 5

procedures in slaughter house - clean area

Answer 5

Meat control (internal organs, carcass, maybe microbiological assessment, decision by meat controller about edibility and labelling with meat control stamp)

Halving (cattle, pigs)

Weighing (details in carcass weight bylaw, sometimes determination of live animal weight & dressing percentage)

Classification

pH, conductivity measurement
Fat number

Question 6

Results of meat control

Answer 6

1) No restricition in selling meat for consumption

2) Meat may not be sold

3) A microbial assessment of the meat has to take place

Question 7

Why is the spinal cord sucked from cattle after halving the carcasses?

Answer 7

BSE prevention in slaughter house

Question 8

Procedures in the slaughter house - further processing of carcass

Answer 8

Electrical stimulation
- Optional for cattle and lamb -> meat quality

Chilling
- cattle, pigs to 4° -> meat quality, microbiological status
- poultry: to 4° or freezing, chilling by diving or dry chilling

Dessection of carcass
- optional (dairy cows, pigs and poultry sometimes in warm state)
- Proportion of valuable cuts -> carcass quality

Transport to customers
- Truck with chiller -> microbiological status