Slaughter

Question 1

Stunning

Answer 1

1. Stunning shall not kill or cause permanent physical injury to the animal
2. The person preferably a Muslim who is trained & responsible for the stunning operation
3. Muslim halal checker shall verify whether the stunned animal is still alive or dead
4. 2 methods of stunning
   • Pneumatic Percussive Stunning
   • Electrical Stunning

Question 2

Pneumatic Percussive Stunning

Answer 2

• The power of the stunner used should not exceed 225 psi
• To ensure that the animal is not killed by the stunning process
• The stunning on the head should not protrude more than 3 mm
• The animal shall be stunned once

Question 3

Electrical Stunning

Answer 3

a) Is only allowed to the following conditions;
• The stunner used is a head-only stunner
• The strength of the electric current must be controlled
• It must be monitored by a certified Muslim officer

b) The Water Bath Stunning methods are only allowed if
• The strength of the electric current must be controlled so as not to kill the animal
• Must be monitored by a certified Muslim officer
• The time from the point of shackling to stunning should be limited to 60s
• Birds are completely immersed up to he base of their wings
• Stunning for at least 4s

Question 4

Requirement For Halal Slaughtering

Answer 4

1. The animal must be alive and healthy at the time of slaughter
2. The slaughter must be done niyyah in the name of Allah
3. The animal’s head must be facing towards the qibla
4. The name of Allah must be pronounced before OR during slaughter
5. The knife used must be sharp and not cause undue pain to the animal
6. The knife must not be lifted from the animal’s neck until the slaughter is complete
7. The cut servers the alqum, mari’ and both carotid artery and jagular vein
8. The carcass must be inspected to ensure that it’s free from any defects/abnormalities that would render it unfit for the consumption

Question 5

The Halal Slaughterman Shall;

Answer 5

• Muslim
• Mentally sound
• Baligh
• Registered, trained and supervised by the Halal Certification Body

Question 6

The Halal Checker Shall;

Answer 6

The Halal Checker Shall;
1. Be present in the slaughter hall to check;
• The stunning operation
• Halal slaughter
• Proper bleeding
• Post-slaughter
• Handling of non-compliance carcasses

Question 7

Antermortem Handling

Answer 7

1. Refers to the treatment of animals before they are slaughtered for meat

Question 8

Handling

Answer 8

Rough handling can harm the quality of the meat. Use appropriate & gentle techniques to move/restraint the animals

Question 9

Transportation

Answer 9

Transport animals in a way that reduces stress and discomfort. Give animals enough space to move comfortably & protect them from the extreme weather

Question 10

Feeding & Watering

Answer 10

Give them appropriate food & avoid sudden changes that could cause digestive issues

Question 11

Health Inspection

Answer 11

Check animals for health and disease before slaughter with a vet.

Question 12

Postmortem Handling

Answer 12

1. Refers to the treatment of the carcass and meat after the animal has been slaughtered

Question 13

Bleeding

Answer 13

After slaughter, the animal should be bled quickly and effectively to remove all blood from the carcass –> To prevent microbial growth

Question 14

Dressing

Answer 14

The carcass should be dressed ASAP after bleeding –> To remove potential sources of contamination & free from any foreign matter

Question 15

Cooling

Answer 15

The carcass should be cooled quickly to prevent the growth of bacteria & ensure the meat remains fresh

Question 16

Grading

Answer 16

The meat should be graded according to its quality and inspected for any defects

Question 17

Packaging

Answer 17

The meat should be packaged in a way that protects its from contamination & extends its shelf life

Question 18

Heat Ring

Answer 18

• Heat ring is a problem associated with beef carcasses and results from differential chilling rates of the muscles after slaughter
• A heat ring is a dark, coarsely textured band around the exterior portion of the muscle

Question 19

Blood Splash

Answer 19

• Cause by rupture of capillaries, blood pressure skyrockets after stunning
• Results in small blood spots in muscles
• To minimize the blood splash, it is important to keep animals as quiet and calm as possible before harvest

Question 20

Bruising

Answer 20

• Happen when animals are handled roughly and/or facilities are improperly designed
• Bruising causes discoloration of the muscle and will result in affected areas being trimmed off the carcass
• The ICEBERG EFFECT occurs when light pink areas on the carcass are too light to be scored as bruising, but deeper tissue bruises are found when those areas are trimmed

Question 21

Malaysian Halal Certification

Answer 21

1) Malaysian halal certification is recognized worldwide as a standard for halal products

2) The certification is issued by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM)

3) The certification process involves an audit of the entire production process to ensure compliance with Islamic laws

4) Only products that have been certified halal by JAKIM can be marketed as halal in Malaysia

Question 22

Cold shortening

Answer 22

1) Rapid chilling of carcasses before onset of rigor mortis
2) Results in irreversible contraction of muscle fibers
3) Causes meat to be up to 5 times tougher than normal
4) Occurs in lean beef and lamb carcasses with higher proportions of red muscle fibers
5) Less severe than thaw rigor
6)Chilled temp above 0°C but below 15-16°C

Question 23

Thaw Rigor

Answer 23

1) Meat is frozen before entering rigor mortis
2) Muscle contraction occurs upon thawing 60-80% of original length
3) Meat becomes extremely tough
4) Can occur in any type of meat that is frozen pre-rigor
5) Can cause severe toughening of meat
6) Frozen temperature < 0°C

Question 24

PSE

Answer 24

1) Pale, soft, and exudative meat

2) Result of rapid postmortem pH decline while muscle temperature is too high

3) Low pH and high temperature adversely affect muscle proteins, reducing their ability to hold water and causing them to reflect light from the surface of the meat

4) Meat is pale in color, soft in texture with exudation of water

5) Occurs in chicken, turkey, and pig muscle

6) Antemortem stress (short-term stress) usually increases the severity of PSE

6) Negative impact on consumer sales appeal
and shrinkage is greatly increased

Question 25

DFD

Answer 25

1) Dark, firm, and dry meat

2) The result of ultimate pH that is higher than normal

3) Shortage of glycogen at slaughter due to extreme stress or exercise of the muscles

4) Meat is too dark in color, firm in texture, and dry on the surface

5) Beef has the most DFD problems

6) Caused by a shortage of glycogen at slaughter (long-term stress)

7) Lack of consumer appeal, severely discounted at the marketp