Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-fv566 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-17T06:10:14.093Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The administration of sugar solutions to pigs immediately prior to slaughter 1. Effect on carcass yield and some muscle and liver characteristics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 September 2010

T. H. Fernandes
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
W. C. Smith
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
D. G. Armstrong
Affiliation:
Faculty of Agriculture, The University, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 7RU
Get access

Abstract

Three experiments, involving a total of 84 pigs of approximately 90 kg live weight, were undertaken to determine the effects of feeding sugar solutions immediately prior to slaughter on carcass yield, liver weights, ultimate pH of the musculature and some chemical characteristics of muscle and liver. In the first, where water-only (14 h) prior to slaughter, or access to a solution of either glucose syrup (12 h) or sucrose (12 h) followed by water-only (2 h) were the treatments, sugar feeding did not influence carcass yield. Liver weight was increased with glucose (39%) and markedly so with sucrose (77%). Livers from sugar-fed pigs had higher glycogen and lower protein concentrations. Glucose reduced muscle ultimate pH (0·2 to 0·4 units) but sucrose had little effect. In the second study various sugars were tested (pure glucose, glucose syrup, sucrose and fructose) and pigs had access to solutions of them for 4 h and water-only thereafter for 10 h prior to slaughter. All sugar treatments increased liver weight and reduced muscle ultimate pH relative to water-only before slaughter. The final experiment involved access to varying amounts of a glucose syrup solution for 4 h followed by water-only (10 h). In comparison with ‘water-only’ prior to slaughter, an intake of some 250 g hexose equivalent reduced muscle ultimate pH (0·2 to 0·3 units) and increased liver weight but a response in carcass yield required in excess of 1000 g hexose equivalent.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 1979

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bate-Smith, E. C. 1939. The carbohydrate metabolism of slaughterhouse animals. A. Rep. Fd Invest Bd 1938, pp. 2223.Google Scholar
Callow, E. H. 1936. The electrical resistance of muscular tissue and its relation to curing. A. Rep. Fd Invest. Bd 1935, pp. 5761.Google Scholar
Fenn, W. O. 1939. The deposition of potassium and phosphate with glycogen in rat livers. J. biol. Chem. 128: 297307.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gallwey, W. J., Tarrant, P. V. and McMahon, P. 1977. Pigmeat quality and yield in relation to pre-slaughter sugar feeding. Ir. J. Fd Sci. Technol. 1: 7177.Google Scholar
Hohorst, H.-J. 1963. L-(+)-Lactate determination with lactic dehydrogenase and NAD. In Methods of Enzymatic Analysis (ed. Bergmeyer, H.-U.) pp. 266270. Academic Press, New York.Google Scholar
Keppler, D. and Decker, K. 1970. Glycogen: Bestimmung mit amyloglucosidase. In Methoden der Enzymatischen Analyse II. (ed. Bergmeyer, H.-U.), pp. 10891094. Verlag Chemie., Weinheim/Bergstr.Google Scholar