Effects of preslaughter management on oxidative stress, Warner-Bratzler shear force, heat shock protein 27 expression, and apoptosis index of longissimus thoracis et lumborum in goats

This study examines how preslaughter management affects Warner-Bratzler shear force, oxidative stress, heat shock protein 27, and apoptosis index in goats in tropical climates of Malaysia. Three hours (L3), six hours (L6), and twelve hours (L12) of lairage were given to goats before slaughter following two different road transportation distances, two hours (TS2) and six (TS6) hours, respectively. Increased transit length significantly (p <.05) affects apoptotic index and Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) in goat meat, with TS6 animals resulting in tougher meat than in TS2 animals. The impact of stress on meat tenderness decreased significantly (p <.05) after 12 h of lairage–further, ageing of goat meat for three to seven days diminished transport stress’s impact in all groups. Transit durations did not affect (p >.05) malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration and HSP27 expression. Transport and lairage duration interacted significantly with the apoptosis index in this study. In summary, apoptosis detection is a more sensitive stress parameter.