Effect of different voltage on the physiological signals of Rex rabbit and its meat quality

The physiological signal of Rex rabbit( electroencephalogram,electrocardiogram) treated with different voltage stunning and the meat quality( cooking loss,drip loss,shear force) after slaughter were studied. The Rex rabbits were randomly divided into four groups,one group with hammering brainstem cervical by hand method as control,others were treated with 90,120,150 V voltage shock for 3s,leading to head dizzy. After arterial bleeding,biceps femoris was cut from carcass and detected for meat quality. Carcass bruising,fractures,bleeding at different extents were discovered in the electrical stunning groups while these phenomena was not found in control group.Electrical stunning made Rex rabbits to be epileptiform. Meantime,the amplitude of electroencephalogram( EEG) was improved and frequency of the main peak of electrocardiogram( ECG) were increased with the increasing electrical voltage.With voltage increasing,the cooking loss,the drip loss and the shear force of biceps femoris were significantly increased while the tenderness was decreased.The results showed that compared with stunned by hammering brainstem cervical by hand method,electrical stunning reduced meat quality of Rex rabbit,which was more apparent with the increasing voltage.According to the principles of slaughter and animal welfare needs,it was suggested that 90 V was optimal to electrical stunning for Rex rabbit.