Heat Stress Associated Changes on Meat production

Highlights

• linear measurements and offals remained intact in heat stressed goats.
• Heat stress altered meat pH, and shear force variables in goats
• Intact meat production reflected extreme adaptive nature of Malabari goats.

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess the effect of heat stress on the meat production and quality variables in indigenous Malabari breed goats. The study was conducted during 45 days using twelve 10 months to one year old Malabari goats. The goats were randomly allocated into two groups: MC (n = 6; Malabari control) and MHS (n = 6; Malabari Heat stress). The MC group animals were housed inside the shed without exposure to outside environment while the MHS group animals were exposed to summer heat stress by keeping them outside the shed from 10:00 h to 16:00 h. At the end of the study, animals were slaughtered and their meat characteristics were assessed. The findings from the study revealed that heat stress caused significant reduction in live weight (P < 0.05), pre-slaughter weight (P < 0.01), hot carcass weight (P < 0.05), loin eye area (LEA) (P < 0.01), and fat score (P < 0.01). Fore saddle is the only primal cut which was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in weight in MHS as compared to MC group. Further, meat quality variables such as ultimate meat pH, water holding capacity (WHC) and shear force significantly (P < 0.01) increased during heat stress. Among the sensory characteristics, appearance (P < 0.01) and flavour (P < 0.05) reduced significantly in MHS group. Thus, it may be concluded from the study that indigenous Malabari goats possessed the inherent ability to maintain meat production by overcoming the adverse effects of heat stress. However, the severity of heat stress was reflected on the meat quality variables in this breed.

Introduction

Goat rearing, especially for meat production is highly prevalent in developing countries (Maitra et al., 2014). Compared to other red meats, chevon has been recognized as the choicest meat in the domestic market, for their leaner meat and essential fatty acids composition. Chevon has become increasingly important for human health management because of its high nutritious attributes. Further, goat meat is an excellent source of several essential nutrients and micro minerals. Therefore, improvement in goat meat production may directly influence the farmer’s income as well as global revenue from this sector.

Environmental temperature is considered an important ante-mortem stress affecting the post-mortem meat quality (Nardone et al., 2010). The impact of heat stress is expected to be reflected on both meat production and quality variables (Kadim et al., 2008). During heat stress, the animals deploy several adaptive mechanisms as part of thermoregulation during which the production is compromised in the animal (Sejian et al., 2016). Unsurprisingly, as part of jeopardizing the productive functions, meat production was also established to be impaired in several livestock species (Nardone et al., 2010). Chauhan et al. (2014) had reported the up regulation of heat shock proteins (HSPs) namely, HSP70, HSP90 and HSF-1 in the skeletal muscle of heat stressed sheep. These findings clearly suggest that climate change associated heat stress seems to be the major factor negatively influencing meat production.

Malabari breed is an important meat breed of Southern India which is well known for their good quality and palatable meat as well as its ability to survive in the hot and humid tropical climate. However, there are no reports on the influence of heat stress on the meat production characteristics of this particular breed. Therefore, this study was conducted to assess the heat stress changes on both meat production and quality variables in indigenous Malabari goats

Location

The experiment was carried out during April–May at National Institute of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Bangalore, India. During this study duration the average temperature and relative humidity (RH) were 28−40 °C and 29–58 % respectively. describes the temperature humidity index (THI) values for both inside and outside the shed. .

Animals

Malabari is the native breed of Kerala, India which is reared mainly for meat.

Body weight and carcass characteristics

Live body weight, pre-slaughter weight, hot carcass weight, dressing percentage, loin eye area, separable fat and fat score between the experimental groups are presented in heat stress significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the live body weight in MHS goats. Likewise, heat stress also reduced the PSW (P < 0.01) and HCW (P < 0.05) in MHS while the DP did not showed any difference between groups. The LEA also reduced (P < 0.01) in MHS group. In addition, no variation was observed in separable

Discussion

Heat stress significantly reduced the live weight of the Malabari goats. Further, the heat stress adverse effects were also evident both on PSW and HCW with significant reduction in MHS group. Such reductions in growth variables of the heat stressed goats could be attributed to the severe energy depletion in these animals deviating the energy available for supporting the life sustaining activities.

Conclusion

The no effect of heat stress on majority of primal cuts, linear measurements and offals and the significant influence on some of the crucial meat quality parameters indicate that only the quality of the meat gets compromised rather than the production indicating the extreme adaptive nature of Malabari breed to tropical environment. This was supported by the findings that the significantly lower values established for live weight, PSW and HCW in heat stress group goats did not reflect on it.

FAQs: Heat Stress and Meat Production

Q1: What is heat stress in livestock?
A1: Heat stress occurs when animals are exposed to high temperatures and humidity, making it difficult to regulate body temperature.

Q2: How does heat stress affect meat production?
A2: It reduces feed intake, growth rate, and overall meat yield, leading to lower productivity.

Q3: Does heat stress affect meat quality?
A3: Yes. It can cause pale, soft, and exudative (PSE) or dark, firm, and dry (DFD) meat, reducing shelf life and consumer appeal.

Q4: Which animals are most affected?
A4: Poultry, pigs, and cattle are especially vulnerable, particularly in hot climates or poorly ventilated housing.

Q5: How can farmers reduce heat stress?
A5: Use shade, fans, cool water, and proper ventilation. Adjust feeding times to cooler hours and ensure proper hydration.

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