Does transport stress have any effect on carcass quality of Nellore cattle (Bos taurus indicus) in Brazil? — A case study

T ansla ional Animal Science, 2024, 8, xad134 h ps://doi.o g/10.1093/ as/ xad134 Ad ance access publica ion 8 Decembe 2023 Mea Science Recei ed Ap il 26, 2023 Accep ed Decembe 7, 2023. Does anspo s ess ha e any e ec on ca cass quali y o Nello e ca le (Bos au us indicus) in B azil? — A case s udy Na halia da Sil a Rod igues Mendes†,‡, Rena o Rod igues Sil a||, Ta ianne Fe ei a de Oli ei a†, Ma ie-Pie e Ellies-Ou y‡,$, Jean-F ançois Hocque e‡, Sghaie Ch iki‡,¶,1, †Depa men o Food Science and Technology, School o Ag onomy, Fede al Uni e si y o Goiás-UFG, Campus Samambaia, CEP 74690-900, Goiânia, B azil ‡Ins i u Na ional de Reche che pou l’Ag icul u e, l’Alimen a ion e l’En i onnemen (INRAE), Uni e si é Cle mon Au e gne, Ve Ag o Sup, UMR He bi o es, UMR1213, Reche ches su les He bi o es, Theix, 63122 Sain -Genès Champanelle, F ance ||Depa men o Ins i u e o Ma hema ics and S a is ics, Fede al Uni e si y o Goiás, Goiânia, B azil $Depa men o Feed and Food, Bo deaux Sciences Ag o, CS 40201, 33175 G adignan, F ance ¶ISARA, CEDEX 07, 69364 Lyon, F ance 1Co esponding au ho : [email p o ec ed] Abs ac Wi h he inc easing concomi an demands o B azilian bee and in pa icula high-quali y bee , he e is a need o obse a ional s udies o he e ec s o p e- and pos -slaugh e p ac ices on bee ca cass ai s. We hypo hesized in ou case s udy ha p e-slaugh e anspo o bo ines o e signi ican dis ances would induce s ess in animals, and ha his would educe ca cass quali y because o highe pH esul ing om long-dis ance anspo a ion. To es his hypo hesis, 30,230 Nello e ca casses om a p i a e slaugh e house we e e alua ed 24 h pos mo em. Analysis showed co ela ions be ween animal ma u i y, ul ima e pH, dis ance, and ca cass weigh . Mo e p ecisely, he e was a sligh posi i e co ela ion be ween ul ima e pH and weigh (bu no wi h anspo a ion dis ance) and a sligh posi i e co ela ion be ween ma u i y and weigh . A linea eg ession model (R2 = 0.016) ailed o show dis ance ha ing a signi ican e ec on ul ima e pH (P = 0.63), while ca cass weigh signi ican ly a - ec ed ul ima e pH (P < 0.001) wi h a low coe icien o 0.0003. Ma u i y nega i ely a ec ed ul ima e pH also (P < 0.001) bu wi h also a small e ec (−0.0008). Resul s ( om 95% con idence in e als o a iance o he andom e ec s and o he andom e o s) showed ha he a iabili y wi hin a ms was highe han be ween a ms. The linea mixed model showed ha ma u i y had a signi ican e ec on ca cass weigh alue (P < 0.001) wi h a la ge coe icien o 2.90. The R2 o he linea mixed model was 46.03%. In conclusion, while weigh and ma u i y bo h a ec ul ima e pH, long dis ances did no signi ican ly impac ul ima e pH and he e o e he bee quali y om Nello e ca le. This could be because o low s ess du ing anspo , as well as he physical cha ac e is ics o he Nello e b eed ha a o g ea e esis ance o opical clima ic condi ions. Lay Summa y Wi h he inc easing concomi an demands o B azilian bee and o high-quali y bee , he e is a need o obse a ional s udies o he e ec s o p e- and pos -slaugh e p ac ices on bee ca casses. In ou case s udy, we hypo hesized ha p e-slaugh e anspo o bo ines o e signi ican dis ances would induce s ess in animals and ha his s ess would educe ca cass quali y because o he highe pH which would esul om long-dis ance anspo a ion. To es his hypo hesis, 30,230 Nello e ca casses om a p i a e slaugh e house we e e alua ed 24 h pos mo em. Analysis showed co ela ions be ween animal ma u i y, ul ima e pH, dis ance, and ca cass weigh . Mo e p ecisely, he e was a sligh posi i e co ela ion be ween ul ima e pH and weigh (bu no wi h anspo a ion dis ance) and a sligh posi i e co ela ion be ween ma u i y and weigh . S a is ical analysis showed ha he a iabili y wi hin a ms was highe han be ween a ms. In conclusion, while ca cass weigh and ma u i y bo h a ec ul ima e pH, long dis ances did no signi ican ly a ec ul ima e pH, and he e o e had no signi ican e ec on he quali y o bee om Nello e ca le. This could be because o low s ess du ing anspo , as well as he physical cha ac e is ics o he Nello e b eed ha a o g ea e esis ance o opical clima ic condi ions. Key wo ds: animal s ess, bee , ca cass ai s, ea ing quali y In oduc ion Bee ea ing quali y is an in insic quali y ai , which depends on bo h p e- and pos -slaugh e ac o s (Liu e al., 2022; Pogo zelski e al., 2022). The main a ibu es used o cha ac- e ize bee ea ing quali y a e la o , juiciness, ende ness, and o e all liking. These desc ip o s appea o be highly a iable and dependen on many in e ac ing ac o s ha a e di icul o manage, such as he an emo em p ope ies (b eed, age, ma u i y, ca cass a le el, a y acid composi ion o cu s, e c.) and he pos mo em elemen s (slaugh e p ocesses, such as ca cass handling, aging, and s o age (De lin e al., 2017)). P io o slaugh e , animals a e exposed o si ua ions ha can igge s ess esponses, which can educe he senso y quali y o he mea (G ube e al., 2010). An obse a ional case s udy would be able o de e mine whe he anspo ime migh be a signi ican sou ce o s ess. Fo he pu poses o his pape , anspo ime means he o al ime ha an animal is con ined in a ehicle wi hou ood, © The Au ho (s) 2023. Published by Ox o d Uni e si y P ess on behal o he Ame ican Socie y o Animal Science. This is an Open Access a icle dis ibu ed unde he e ms o he C ea i e Commons A ibu ion-NonComme cial-NoDe i s licence (h ps:// c ea i ecommons.o g/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which pe mi s non-comme cial ep oduc ion and dis ibu ion o he wo k, in any medium, p o ided he o iginal wo k is no al e ed o ans o med in any way, and ha he wo k is p ope ly ci ed. Fo comme cial e-use, please con ac jou nals.pe missions@ oup.com Downloaded om h ps://academic.oup.com/ as/a icle/doi/10.1093/ as/ xad134/7464012 by gues on 23 Augus 2024 2Mendes e al. wa e , o es o anspo i om he a m o he slaugh e - house. This includes ime spen wai ing o depa a e loading, ime in ansi , and s a iona y pe iods, as well as wai ing o o -load (Schwa zkop -Genswein e al., 2012). T anspo ime can be signi ican in la ge coun ies such as B azil, whe e li es ock a e o en anspo ed long dis ances om a m o slaugh e house, which may be loca ed in ano he pa o he coun y. B azilian legisla ion, No ma i e Ins uc ion 09/2021, allows a maximum o 12 h con inuous anspo a ion be- o e equi ing a es s op o ood and wa e (B azil, 2021). Imp ope handling du ing anspo and a he slaugh e - house can lead o muscle glycogen deple ion, inadequa e acid- i ica ion, and high ul ima e pH. This esul s in da ke mea , wi h lowe senso ial p ope ies, especially ende ness (G ube e al., 2010), juiciness, and la o (Hemswo h e al., 2011). Fo example, i is well known ha an ul ima e pH highe han 6 be ween 12 and 48 h pos mo em esul s in da k mea cu s (a de ec known as da k, i m, and d y [DFD]) wi h a sho e shel li e because o inc eased suscep ibili y o mic obial con- amina ion (Pé ez e al., 2013). Howe e , mos s udies o he e ec s o anspo ime on bee quali y ha e been conduc ed using Bos au us au us ca le ea ed and anspo ed in sys- ems di e en om hose used in B azil (Ma ia e al 2003; Gonzalez e al., 2012 a,b; Chulayo e al., 2016; Polkingho ne e al., 2018), whe e zebu ca le, which a e cha ac e ized by a mo e eac i e empe amen , p edomina e (Cooke e al., 2020). Zebu bee is ypically less ende wi h less ma bling han ha o au ine ca le (Bos au us au us), pa icula ly when compa ed o he Angus b eed (Seideman e al., 1982; De And ade e al., 2020). In o ma ion on he e ec s o anspo imes on he quali y o mea om zebu ca le is s ill sca ce, as he e ha e only been a limi ed numbe o s udies o hese animals, and mo eo e , only in he no he n and sou he n egions o B azil (Fe ei a e al., 2006; Mendonça e al., 2018; Lace da e al., 2022). E en hough he cen al-wes e n egion is unques ionably im- po an o he B azilian bee indus y (ABIEC, 2022) s udies o he e ec s o anspo ime in his i ally impo an egion on bee quali y a e lacking. We hypo hesized ha p e-slaugh e anspo o bo ines causes s ess o he animals, and esul s in ca casses o lowe quali y wi h a highe inal pH because o ha s ess. Consequen ly, he aim o his obse a ional case s udy was o in es iga e he e ec s o s ess du ing anspo be ween a m and slaugh e house, speci ically on ul ima e pH o Nello e ca le, while con olling o ho ca cass weigh and ma u i y. Ma e ial and Me hods Ins i u ional Animal Ca e and Use Commi ee (IACUC) This slaugh e house is egula ed by he B azilian Fede al Inspec ion Se ice (S.I.F 2872). A icle 110 o he Regulamen o Indus ial e Sani á io de P odu os de O igem Animal - RIISPOA (B azilian Indus ial and Sani a y Regula ion o Animal P oduc s), equi es ha ca le be gi en a es pe iod and wa e . Fas ing in he slaugh e house pens o 24 h p io o slaugh e . P e-ha es handling con o med o good animal wel a e p ac ices wi h slaugh e p ocedu es ollowing he Sani a y and Indus ial Inspec ion Regula ion o Animal O igin P oduc s (B asil, 2004, 2021). These documen s a e he Animal Mo emen Pe mi and he a me ’s decla a ion o ha ing ollowed he s anda d and expec ed p o ocols (B asil, 2021). Slaugh e condi ions con o med o adi ional o Halal p ocedu es (CIBALLAHAL, 2022). Da ase We used a da a se p o ided by a p i a e company loca ed in Inhumas (Goiás, B azil) (49°28ʹ14.84ʹʹW and 16°20ʹ31.42ʹʹS). This slaugh e house can p ocess up o 700 ca le pe day (80 o 90 animals/h) and is egula ed by he Fede al Inspec ion Se ice (S.I.F. 2872). The clima e in his egion is opical wi h an a e age annual empe a u e o 23.1 °C wi h an a e age ain all o 1,516 mm wi h a Hea Index in Inhumas o 22% (B asil, 2022). The ainy season is equen ly cloudy and o e cas ; he d y season is almos always cloudless. Th oughou he yea , empe a u es gene ally ange om 16 o 32 °C and a ely all below 13 °C o abo e 36 °C (B asil, 2022). The company pu chases animals om di e en a eas o he s a e o Goiás, and main ains hem wi hin a p o- duc ion sys em ypical o his egion, i.e., a pas u e-based opical condi ions sys em. These animals a e ep esen a- i e o he bee ca le ea ed in cen al-wes e n B azil. P e- ha es handling con o med o good animal wel a e p ac ices and slaugh e p ocedu es and ollowed he Sani a y and Indus ial Inspec ion Regula ion o Animal O igin P oduc s (B asil, 2004) and Technical Regula ions o P e-slaugh e Managemen and Humane Slaugh e and he s un me hods au ho ized by he Minis y o Ag icul u e, Li es ock and Supply (BRASIL, 2021). The da a se o he pe iod om Janua y o Augus 2021 has 35,126 eco ds o bee ca cass ai s such as b eed (Nello e o C ossb eed), ca ego y (Bull, Cow, Du ch bull, Du ch cow, Hei e , Ma uco ox, Tau us), con o mi y, ma- u i y (age), ca cass weigh , and ul ima e pH. Ca ego ies a e based on age and sex and can be u he classi ied in o cal es o hei e s, hei e s, o bullocks, which in u n may be cas a ed o whole, as well as cows o bulls o slaugh e . Con o mi y e e s o he s anda ds o which his mea should be p ocessed o he ma ke o which i is in ended. Du ing he pe iod in which his s udy was conduc ed, he mea ollowed he s anda ds es ablished o he ollowing coun- ies: B azil, China, and Halal consume s’ coun ies (I an and Saudi A abia) Cen al Islâmica B asilei a De Alimen os Halal (CIBALLAHAL, 2022). Ma u i y (age) was de e mined by den i ion: milk ee h (up o 20 mo), wo ee h (21 o 24 mo), ou ee h (25 o 30 mo), six ee h (31 o 41 mo), and eigh ee h (42 mo o abo e). Following he pos -ha es and head inspec ion, he numbe o pe manen inciso s was eco ded o each Nello e bull. A pai o ee h was conside ed o be p esen when ei he oo h o a pai had pene a ed he gum. Ca cass weigh e e s o he edible po ion a e slaugh e , which is composed o mea , a , and bones, and is measu ed in kilog ams (kg). The ul ima e pH was measu ed wi h a pH-me e (AK103 - Akso P odu os Ele onicos L da) in he Longissimus ho acis muscle a 13 h ib o he le hal o he ca cass a pa allel poin s in he same sec ion, and 24 h pos -slaugh e . Wi h ega d o ca cass em- pe a u e and amb,ien empe a u e, he slaugh e house ma u- a ion sys em a ies acco ding o ma ke : Chile equi es 2 o 4 °C o 24 h om 10 °C ambien , while U uguay and o he coun ies equi e 4 °C o 24 h om 10 °C ambien . B azil’s Downloaded om h ps://academic.oup.com/ as/a icle/doi/10.1093/ as/ xad134/7464012 by gues on 23 Augus 2024 T anspo s ess on Nello e ca le ca cass quali y 3 s anda ds o ca cass empe a u e consis o a minimum o 2 °C and a maximum o 5 °C 24 h a e slaugh e om 10 °C ambien . In addi ion, animals we e e alua ed acco ding o a in- ishing, which was pe o med isually using a 9-poin scale wi h sco es om 1 o 9 (1 - absen a ; 2,3,4 - sca ce; 5,6,7 - medium; 8 - uni o m, and 9 - excessi e a ). The dis ance om a m o slaugh e house is gi en in kilome e s, wi h each 100 km co esponding o 1 h 30 min d i ing ime. The numbe s o he di e en modali ies o he a iables a e shown in Table 1. We s a ed wi h 35,126 eco ds o bee ca casses. O hese, 99.28% we e Nello e b eed, 97.18% bulls non-cas a ed, 98.99% Halal, and 89.14% a in- ishing. Res ic ing ou a ge popula ion o Nello e bulls wi h Halal con o mi y and a e a inishing, meaning 30,230 ca casses, educed he numbe o po en ial con ounding a iables (Table1). Because o he la ge sample size, each o he a iables s udied can ha e signi ican e ec s, bu his was minimized by ocusing on ul ima e pH and he a iables o in e es , i.e., a dis ance be ween a m and slaugh e house, ca cass weigh , and ma u i y. Fo his eason, ou sample is limi ed o ul ima e pH, dis ance om a m o slaugh e house, ca cass weigh and ma u i y as shown in Table 2. Slaugh e P ocess and Condi ions The company ollows egula ly inspec ed p ocedu es o slaugh e ing animals (B asil, 2004). Animals a e p ocessed o slaugh e only a e documen s accompanying he lo a e inspec ed. These a e he Animal Mo emen Pe mi and he a me ’s decla a ion o ha ing ollowed he s anda d and expec ed p o ocols. Bo h d i e s and s ockya d s a ha e been ained in animal wel a e. Animal lo s a e sepa a ed by o igin. A e unloading, he li es ock ucks a e washed and disin ec ed. The animals es and a e gi en wa e o a leas 6 h be o e slaugh e ing. Animals app o ed o slaugh e pass h ough a sp ay ba h o p essu ized hype -chlo ina ed wa e . Slaugh e condi ions a e con o med o adi ional o Halal p ocedu es. A e his, an assis an om he Inspec ion Se ice de e mines he age o he animals using den i ion and hen s amps he ca cass wi h i s age g oup. The hal -ca casses a e g aded o a inishing, absence o p esence o b uising, sex, and weigh . A e he hal -ca casses a e s amped by he Fede al Inspec ion Se ice, hey a e weighed and aceabili y labels a e applied o he hindqua e , o equa e , and lank. The hal -ca casses a e washed wi h je s o p essu ized wa e o emo e bone agmen s and blood clo s, hen, hey a e placed in chille s suspended by he Achilles endon a +4 ± 1 °C o unde go ma u a ion a e a pH d op. A e chilling, he hal -ca casses a e classi ied by ul ima e pH (see sec ion “Ins i u ional Animal Ca e and Use Commi ee (IACUC)”). S a is ical Analysis The da a we e analyzed using R so wa e ( e sion 4.1.2 - R Co e Team, 2022). A e desc ip i e analysis, a box plo ac- co ding o DuToi e al. (2012). Median alues a e indica ed by he line wi hin he box plo . The box ex ends om he 25 h o 75 h pe cen iles and whiske s indica e he minimum and maximum alues. Analysis o Va iance (ANOVA) was pe o med using he ao () unc ion o de e mine he signi i- can di e ences be ween ca cass cha ac e is ics. Pea son co ela ion was calcula ed wi h he ggplo 2 package using he “pai s.panels’‘ unc ion. P incipal Componen Analysis (PCA) was pe o med using he package “Fac oMineR” o ep esen and model mul idi- mensional poin cloud da ase s, showing whe he ela ionships exis be ween he s udied a iables. PCA allows o he calcu- la ion o new a iables, called p incipal componen s, which cap u e he a iabili y in he da a. This enables in o ma ion o be desc ibed wi h ewe a iables han o iginally p esen . The p incipal componen s a e linea combina ions o he o iginal a iables. The i s p incipal componen is he combina ion o a iables ha explains he g ea es amoun o a iabili y in he da a. The second and subsequen p incipal componen s desc ibe he maximum amoun o emaining a iabili y and Table 1. P o iles o ca casses based on b eed, ca ego y, a inishing and con o mi y Pa ame e Value n1% B eed C ossb eed 253 0.72 Nello e 34,873 99.28 Ca ego y Bull 34,135 97.18 Cow 610 1.74 Du ch bull 79 0.23 Du ch cow 8 0.02 Hei e 173 0.49 Ma uco ox 48 0.14 Tau us 73 0.21 Fa inishing Excessi e 6 0.08 Medium 3,748 10.67 Ra e 31,311 89.14 Uni o m 61 0.17 Con o mi y2B azil 1 0.003 China 350 1.00 Halal 34,775 99 1Numbe o ca casses. 2The s anda ds acco ding o which his mea should be p ocessed o i s in ended ma ke . Table 2. Raw alues o mean, s anda d de ia ion (SD), coe icien o a ia ion (CV), minimum, and maximum o he measu ed ai s o ou s udied popula ion o 30,230 ca casses Mean SD CV (%) Minimum Maximum Ul ima e pH 5.75 0.07 1.22 5.0 6.04 Dis ance, km 203 115.59 57.44 10 547 Time, h 3 1.73 57.44 0.15 8 Ca cass weigh , kg 298.9 34.14 11.41 150.5 553 Ma u i y, mon hs 203 1.97 48.47 0 8 Downloaded om h ps://academic.oup.com/ as/a icle/doi/10.1093/ as/ xad134/7464012 by gues on 23 Augus 2024 4Mendes e al. mus be independen (o hogonal) be ween hem and o he i s p incipal componen (Husson e al., 2016). Mul i a ia e Reg ession Models we e de eloped by using he “lm” (linea model) unc ion and “lm.be a” R Package (Beh end , 2014). The linea eg ession models we e ca ied ou o s udy he ela ionship be ween pH and explana o y a iables such as ca cass weigh , ma u i y (age), and dis ances as ollows: yi=β0+β1xi1+β2xi2+β3xi3+i, whe e yi ep esen s he i h measu ed pH on he bee ca cass, β0 is he in e cep , β1,β2,β3 a e he eg ession coe icien s, xi1 ep esen s he i h ca cass weigh , xi2 ep esen s he phys- iology animal ma u i y e alua ed on ca cass ( his pa ame e being highly co ela ed o ch onological age), xi3 ep esen s he i h a m and i he andom e o . We i ed a mixed model o analyze i he ca cass pH a - iance wi hin he a ms was highe han be ween he a ms. Mixed-e ec models a e used o desc ibe ela ionships be- ween a esponse a iable and some o he co a ia es in da a when g ouped acco ding o one o mo e classi ica ion ac o s. Examples o such g ouped da a include longi udinal da a, epea ed measu es da a, mul ile el da a, and block designs. By associa ing common andom e ec s wi h obse a ions sha ing he same le el o a classi ica ion ac o , mixed e ec s by g ouping he da a by g ouping he da a models lexibly ep esen he co a iance s uc u e induced by he g ouping o he da a (Pinhei o and Ba es, 2000). The s a is ical model can be exp essed as ollows: yij =µ+bi+ij, Whe e yij ep esen s he ij h pH measu ed on i h a m and j h ca cass, µ is he in e cep , bi is he andom e ec o i h a m and ij he andom e o . Addi ionally, we i ed a mixed o model he ca cass weigh in unc ion o ma u i y using he a m as a andom e ec . The model was he ollowing: yij =β0+β1xi+bi+ij, whe e yij ep esen s he ij h weigh measu ed on i h a m and j h ca cass, β0 is he in e cep , β1 is he s aigh slope, xi ep esen s he ma u i y (age) e alua ed on i h a m, bi is he andom e - ec o i h a m and ij he andom e o . Con idence in e als o he andom e ec a iance ep esen he ul ima e pH a - iabili y be ween a ms, and con idence in e als o andom e o ep esen he ul ima e pH a iabili y wi hin a ms. Fo his model, he likelihood a io es was pe o med o assess he signi icance o he andom e ec in he model. The alue o R2 was calcula ed using he sq lib a y. All compu a ions ela ed o i ing mixed models we e done using he nlme R package (Pinhei o and Ba es, 2022). Resul s and Discussion Desc ip i e Analysis The pH dis ibu ion is le -skewed and has low a iabili y (Figu e 1a), wi h a coe icien o a ia ion o 1.22% (Table 2) and an in e qua ile ange less han 0.1. I can be seen ha he median alue is 5.75 and he e o e 50% o he samples ha e pH alues less han 5.75. The i s qua ile 25% is o has an ul ima e pH alue o less han 5.71, and he hi d qua ile 75% has is o ul ima e pH alues highe han 5.79. The box plo shows many ou lie s which a e easily de ec able which con as s wi h he low sample a iabili y o ul ima e pH (Figu e 1b). This may be because o echnical p oblems (pH-me e calib a ion, o ins ance), ope a o e o , biological p oblems in speci ic ca casses, and so on. I is wo h no ing ha he emo al o ou lie s does no signi ican ly a ec hese esul s, gi en he la ge sample size. The ul ima e pH ange in his s udy ag ees wi h he a ail- able li e a u e (Pé ez e al., 2013) and as equi ed by he wo ma ke s (I an and Saudi A abia) o which he company expo s bee wi h Halal con o mi y. I an allows a maximum ul ima e pH o 6.2 as speci ied by i s egula o y agency, and Saudi A abia allows a maximum ul ima e pH o 6.0 as speci ied by i s egula o y agency. The ul ima e pH a e aged 5.74 ± 0.07 which is consis en wi h he indings o Sil a e al. (2019), whose alues we e 5.78 ± 0.01, whe e hese au ho s e alua ed he e ec o cas a ion on he ca cass and mea quali y ai s o Nello e ca le. Ou esul s also i wi h hose o Lace da e al. (2022), whe e he ul ima e pH mean was 5.82 ± 0.11. In ou da a, 22.30% o he o al numbe o ca casses had an ul ima e pH highe han 5.8 and lowe han 6.04 ( he maximum pH alue in his s udy). We also emphasize ha an ul ima e pH highe han 5.8 is conside ed DFD mea by some au ho s, since hese changes in inal pH cause conside - able losses o he bee sec o , as he mos equen p oblems caused by s ess in ca le a e weigh loss, ca cass lesions and al e ed mea quali y, mainly due o inc eased pH (>5.8), a - ec ing ende ness and mea colo (da k mea ) (Lomiwes e al., 2014; Hughes e al., 2017). Pé ez e al. (2013) conside mea o be DFD wi h an ul- ima e pH highe han 6 be ween 12 and 48 h pos mo em o esul in da k mea cu s wi h a sho e shel li e because o inc eased suscep ibili y o mic obial con amina ion. In ou da a, only 0.023% o he o al numbe o ca casses had an ul ima e pH highe han 6.0. We chose o compa e ou pH esul s wi h he li e a u e, conside ing we did no analyze mea colo , shea o ce, e c. The ul ima e pH ange in his s udy was accep able o he wo ma ke s (I an and Saudi A abia) o which he company expo s bee wi h Halal con o mi y. I an allows a maximum ul ima e pH o 6.2 as speci ied by i s egula o y agency; and Saudi A abia allows a maximum ul ima e pH o 6.0 as speci ied by i s egula o y agency, while B azil allows a max- imum ul ima e pH o 6.0 as speci ied by i s egula o y agency. These ul ima e pH alues can be explained by 1) he ac ha animals we e aised using a pas u e sys em, which leads o highe ul ima e pH alues han g ain- ed ca le (Apaoblaza e al., 2020) and 2) he use o non-cas a ed males, which can lead o inc eased s ess, because cas a ed animals a e easie o handle han non-cas a ed animals, since cas a ion esul s in changes in beha io , namely in becoming calme , gen le , mo e obedien , and mo e amenable o managemen (Dua e e al., 2011). These wo easons would jus i y he abno mal ul ima e pH in some e alua ed ca casses bu a e insigni ican when compa ed o he e ec s o oad anspo ime on ul i- ma e pH as conside ed in his s udy (Figu e 1a and b). The dis ibu ion o dis ances be ween a m and slaugh e - house is le -skewed wi h a high a iabili y (Figu es 2a and b), wi h a coe icien o a ia ion o 57.44% (Table 2). The Downloaded om h ps://academic.oup.com/ as/a icle/doi/10.1093/ as/ xad134/7464012 by gues on 23 Augus 2024 T anspo s ess on Nello e ca le ca cass quali y 5 median alue is 181 km and he i s qua ile 25% wi h a dis ance alue o less han 105 km and he hi d qua ile 75% has a dis ance alue o mo e han 292 km. I should be no ed ha he slaugh e house in his s udy was loca ed nea he geog aphic cen e o he Goiás s a e, and ha he a e age dis ance was no as g ea as hose epo ed in Chile (We ne e al., 2013) o Canada (Gonzalez e al., 2012 a,b; Wa en e al., 2010), which had an a e age dis ance g ea e han 400 km. Howe e , he dis ances epo ed o he p esen s udy a e simila o hose in s udies conduc ed in he no he n and Figu e 1. F equency dis ibu ion o ul ima e pH alues in bee ca casses, ep esen ed as a his og am (a) and box plo (b). Figu e 2. F equency dis ibu ion o dis ance be ween a m and slaugh e house (km) in bee ca casses, ep esen ed as a his og am (a) and box plo (b). Downloaded om h ps://academic.oup.com/ as/a icle/doi/10.1093/ as/ xad134/7464012 by gues on 23 Augus 2024 6Mendes e al. sou he n egions o B azil (Mendonça e al., 2018; Lace da e al., 2022), and a e in acco dance wi h B azilian legisla ion, No ma i e Ins uc ion 09/2021, which allows a maximum o 12 h o con inuous anspo be o e equi ing a es s op o ood and wa e (B asil, 2021). Al hough animal anspo o long du a ion is mo e likely o comp omise animal wel a e han ha o sho e du a- ion, i is impo an o ecognize ha i is no he du a ion o he jou ney pe se, bu he associa ed nega i e aspec s, i.e., lack o ood, lack o wa e and high empe a u e, which a e he sou ce o any de imen al e ec s. S ess om ex eme empe a u es and lack o ood, wa e , and es , o example, a e all exace ba ed by leng h o exposu e, i.e., jou ney du a- ion (Nielsen e al., 2011). Fu he mo e, once animals ha e adap ed o hei new si ua ion, dis ance is a ela i ely mino p oblem when compa ed o loading densi ies, ehicle design, oad condi ions, o d i e skill (S appini e al., 2009). In his s udy, hese ac o s we e con olled o , and he dis ance had no signi ican in luence on bee quali y, as shown by he ul i- ma e pH alues. The weigh dis ibu ion is le -skewed and has high a ia- bili y (Figu e 3a), wi h a coe icien o a ia ion o 11.41%. The median alue is 296.50 kg wi h he i s qua ile 25% ha ing a weigh alue o less han 275.50 kg and he hi d qua ile 75% wi h a weigh alue o mo e han 319.50 kg. The many ou lie s shown in he box plo (Figu e 3b) can be explained by di e en ages. This ag ees wi h he esul s o Bu eš and Ba oň (2012) who e alua ed he e ec s o gende and age a slaugh e on g ow h, eed in ake, ca - cass composi ion, and mea quali y o musculus longissimus lumbo um a ibu es in Cha olais × Simmen al. They ound ha bulls slaugh e ed a 14 mo o age we e ligh e han hose slaugh e ed a 18 mo o age a he end o he a ening pe iod. This same esul in Nello e bulls was also obse ed by Sil a e al. (2019). The a e age ho ca cass weigh in he p esen s udy was 298.90 ± 34.14 kg and which ag ees wi h he alue o 248 ± 34.20 kg obse ed o Nello e bulls by Mello e al. (2018) and wi h 236.60 kg ound by Sil a e al. (2019). The ma u i y dis ibu ion is le -skewed and has high a i- abili y (Figu e 4a), wi h a coe icien o a ia ion o 48.47%. The median is 4 ee h and he i s qua ile 25% wi h a ma- u i y alue o less han 2 ee h and he hi d qua ile 75% has a alue o mo e han 4 ee h. The box plo indica es many ou lie s (Figu e 4b). This is due o he sample size and in he p esen s udy, he expe imen al design did no s ipu- la e he age ange o he animals s udied since he objec i e was o make an explo a o y analysis o he company’s da a. This ag ees wi h esul s om Dua e e al. (2011) wi h mos o he animals wi h 4 pe manen inciso s ee h and when e alua ing he physical and chemical cha ac e is ics o mea om Nello e bulls wi h 4 pe manen inciso s ee h he ound accep able esul s o ende ness. Co ela ions Be ween Bee Ca cass T ai s The ma ix co ela ion be ween bee ca casses shows weak co ela ions be ween ai s and no ela ionship be ween he wo a iables o in e es namely ul ima e pH and dis ance (Table 3). The e was no signi ican co ela ion be ween ul ima e pH and dis ance ( = 0.01) on he one hand and be ween ul i- ma e pH and ma u i y ( = 0.01) on he o he hand. In he condi ions s udied, he hypo hesis ha long dis ances would signi ican ly in e e e wi h bee quali y was no con i med o he Nello e b eed. In his s udy, he anspo a ion dis ance and ime may ha e been insu icien o cause enough s ess o he animals o deple e glycogen s o es. A longe anspo ime (14 h) may esul in changes o he umen en i onmen , leading o an inc eased ace a e/ p opiona e a io. This would Figu e 3. F equency dis ibu ion o ho ca cass weigh (kg) in bee ca casses, ep esen ed as a his og am (a) and box plo (b). Downloaded om h ps://academic.oup.com/ as/a icle/doi/10.1093/ as/ xad134/7464012 by gues on 23 Augus 2024 T anspo s ess on Nello e ca le ca cass quali y 7 educe he quan i y o ci cula ing glucose and a ec ul ima e pH (Deng e al., 2017). This p obably did no occu in he animals s udied because e en he longes ime (8 h) did no impede he decline in ul ima e pH. Ano he ac o may be due o he physical cha ac e is ics o he Nello e b eed, which is e y esis an o hea due o i s la ge body su ace a ea and g ea e numbe o swea glands. The cha ac e is ics o i s hai also acili a e hea ex- change wi h he en i onmen . In addi ion, he diges i e ac is 10% smalle han ha o Eu opean ca le b eeds (ACNB, 2022). The e o e, hei me abolism is lowe and gene a es less hea . Acco ding o Dewell (2010), la ge ca le canno handle hea s ess as well as smalle ca le because inc eased a deposi ion p e en s ca le om egula ing hei hea e - ec i ely. Sola adia ion is a c i ical componen ha can lead o losses om hea s ess. In ou s udy, he a e age weigh was 300 kg which con ibu ed o hese animals being able o handle he hea . This esul ag ees wi h alues o ul i- ma e pH ob ained by Lace da e al. (2022) who in es iga ed he e ec s o di e en p e-slaugh e oad anspo imes on senso y e alua ion and ins umen al measu emen s o mea quali y o Nello e ca le. They obse ed ha , wi h he longes anspo being 6 h, no no iceable e ec on ul ima e pH o mea quali y. Weak bu signi ican co ela ions we e ob ained be ween ul ima e pH and ca cass weigh ( = 0.12, P < 0.01) on he one hand and, be ween dis ance and ca cass weigh on he o he ( = 0.05, P < 0.01). This is in ag eemen wi h González e al. (2012a), which aimed o iden i y and quan i y se e al ac o s a ec ing sh inkage in ca le du ing long-haul com- me cial anspo (≥400 km; n = 6,152 ips). They concluded ha anspo du a ion was he a iable wi h he mos in lu- ence on sh inkage, especially a high ambien empe a u es because bo h ac o s ha e a mul iplica i e e ec on each o he . Thus, e e y a emp should be made o educe anspo du- a ion and sh inkage, such as by a oiding unnecessa y delays h ough ca e ul ip planning and e icien bo de c ossing in- spec ion p o ocols o eede ca le. T anspo should be mo e ca e ully managed du ing ho wea he o minimize a oidable sh inkage. Again, ho ca cass weigh was ound no o be a - ec ed by p e-slaugh e oad anspo dis ance. This may be because e en he longes anspo ime added o he wai ing ime in he holding pen was insu icien o educe ca cass weigh . In addi ion, o he ac o s ela ed o anspo a ion Figu e 4. F equency dis ibu ion o ma u i y (age) in bee ca casses, ep esen ed as a his og am (a) and box plo (b). Table 3. Co ela ion coe icien s be ween bee ca cass ai s pH Dis ance Weigh Ma u i y Ul ima e pH 1 0.0110.1220.0071 Dis ance, km — 1 0.052−0.032 Ca cass Weigh , kg — — 1 0.232 Ma u i y, mon hs — — — 1 1Co ela ion is no signi ican ly di e en (P > 0.05) 2Co ela ion is signi ican ly di e en a 0.01 (P < 0.01). Downloaded om h ps://academic.oup.com/ as/a icle/doi/10.1093/ as/ xad134/7464012 by gues on 23 Augus 2024 8Mendes e al. can con ibu e o changes in ca cass weigh , such as animal densi y, and lo mixing in uck compa men s (Mendonça e al., 2019). Howe e , in he cu en s udy, hese ac o s we e con olled o , so ha he e ec s o anspo dis ance could be isola ed and eliably de e mined (Table 3). T anspo a ion dis ance and ma u i y had a nega i e weak ela ionship ( = −0.03, P < 0.01), wi h a low co ela ion be- ween ca cass weigh and ma u i y ( = 0.23, P < 0.01). This signi ican co ela ion is due o he ac ha he age a which an animal is slaugh e ed de e mines i s weigh and composi- ion o he ca cass because o i s s age o ma u i y (Pe hick e al., 2007). In he PCA, he dis ance be ween a m and slaugh e house, ca cass weigh , ma u i y, and ul ima e pH we e conside ed si- mul aneously in he igh uppe hi d o he plo . This shows why he i s wo PCAs explain only 57.2% o he o al a - iabili y o he da ase , wi h 31.6% co esponding o he i s p incipal componen and 25.6% o he second p incipal com- ponen . Resul s om P incipal Componen Analysis (PCA) con i med a low co ela ion be ween ul ima e pH and dis- ance and a signi ican co ela ion be ween ma u i y and ca - cass weigh (Figu e 5). The con ibu ion o he ul ima e pH in he i s dimension is 16.82% and in he second dimension is 11.91%; dis ance om a m o slaugh e house con ibu es 2.16% and 63.25%, in he i s and second dimensions, e- spec i ely; ca cass weigh con ibu es 49.47% in he i s dimension and 0.09% in he second dimension; and animal ma u i y con ibu es 31.55% and 24.76% in he i s and second dimensions, espec i ely. Howe e , hese esul s should be in e p e ed wi h cau ion due o he la ge amoun o noise in he da a. Because o his, i is impo an o emphasize ha in he cu en s udy, ou p o ocol was insu icien o adequa ely es ou hypo hesis, because he p ima y objec i e o he p esen case s udy was o make an explo a o y analysis o he company’s da a, aking in o conside a ion all he da a ob ained du ing he 6-mo pe iod e alua ed, o ha e a obus da ase wi h p e- and pos - slaugh e da a. pH as a Func ion o Ca cass Weigh , Ma u i y, Dis ance Resul s om he eg ession analysis showed ha dis ance does no ha e a signi ican e ec on pH (P = 0.634). Ca cass weigh signi ican ly a ec s pH (P < 0.001) wi h a low coe i- cien o 0.000266, and, as such, has a e y small e ec . Animal ma u i y (age) nega i ely a ec s pH as well (P < 0.001) bu also wi h a e y small e ec ( he coe icien being −0.000806). yi=5.67 +0.000266xi1−0.000806xi2+0.00000165xi3 Whe e yi ep esen s he measu ed ul ima e pH, xi1 ep esen s he ca cass weigh , xi2 ep esen s he animal ma u- i y e alua ed o he ca cass, xi3 ep esen s he dis ance be- ween he a m and he slaugh e house. The alue o R2 was 0.016, which indica es ha only 1.6% o o al a iabili y can be explained by his eg ession model. The e o e, 98.4% o he a iabili y is a ibu able o o he Figu e 5. P incipal componen analysis. This analysis was pe o med using he ollowing a iables: dis ance, ul ima e pH, weigh , ma u i y. P ojec ion o a iables in a “XY” plane de ined by he axes o he i s wo p incipal componen s (PC1 and PC2), showing he pe cen age o explained a iabili y in he wo PCs o he plo . Downloaded om h ps://academic.oup.com/ as/a icle/doi/10.1093/ as/ xad134/7464012 by gues on 23 Augus 2024 T anspo s ess on Nello e ca le ca cass quali y 9 ac o s no conside ed he e. Thus, esul s om he mul iple eg essions model con i m he p e ious esul s om he PCA. Howe e , he e ec s e en hough small we e de ec able due o he la ge sample size. pH Va iabili y Be ween and Wi hin Fa ms Resul s om 95% con idence in e als o a iance o he andom e ec s and o he andom e o showed ha he a iabili y wi hin a ms is highe han be ween a ms (Table4). These esul s may be explained by he ac each a m is a a di e en dis ance om he slaugh e house, and by each a m ha ing p o ided se e al ca casses wi h di e en cha - ac e is ics. Because o his, he a iabili y o he pH o he ca casses p o ided by each a m is g ea e han he a i- abili y o ca cass pH be ween a ms. The es ima e o he andom e ec a iance is smalle han he es ima e o he andom e o a iance o he model. This may be due o he high a iabili y in he cha ac e is ics o ca casses and in mea quali y o ca le is mul i ac o ial. Indeed, he high a iabili y as epo ed by Clinqua e al. (2022) is o en linked o he p io i ies o he a ming sys em. The conclu- sion eached was ha he di e si y o a ming sys ems is a consequence o he di e si y in se e al ac o s: b eed (dai y o bee ), age, and sex (bulls, s ee s, hei e s, cull cows) used o p oduce bee . Fu he , he e a e o he ac o s linked o a ming p ac ices (e.g., die , especially g azing) ha ha e a s ong in luence on he senso y, nu i ional, echnological, and ex insic a ibu es o mea quali y (Clinqua e al., 2022). Liu e al. (2022) also epo ed he syne gies and an agonisms be ween bee quali y dimensions. To gi e wo examples: he e ec o gene ics alone (highly muscled b eeds, local b eeds, e c.), and di e en die s (pas u e s inland, o ganic s con en- ional on g ass) ha e di e en e ec s on he a ibu es o mea quali y. These wo ac o s a y o a g ea e o lesse deg ee wi hin a gi en a m’s he d as well as be ween he he ds o di - e en a ms. Al hough he s udy o gene ic imp o emen o he Nello e b eed is widesp ead in B azil, he animals used in he p esen s udy we e no gene ically iden i ied as Nello e ei- he indi idually o in agg ega e bu we e classi ied as Nello e by he a ms. This esul s in a iabili y o ca cass cha ac e is- ics, e en when hey come om he same a m as epo ed in he li e a u e, e en when he animals a e o he same gende . This jus i ies he esul ob ained h ough he mixed model (Table 4). I is wo h no ing ha imp o emen s a he a m le el can be impeded o e en elimina ed by poo anspo , subs anda d slaugh e and p ocessing p ac ices. All hese conside a ions explain why in e -animal a iabili y in quali y can be high, e en when a popula ion o animals a e p oduc s o he same a ming sys em (Dua e e al., 2011). In he p esen s udy, p e- and pos -slaugh e p o ocols we e hose ecommended by B azilian legisla ion. Modeling he Rela ionship Be ween Ca cass Weigh and Ma u i y and Fa ms Resul s om a linea mixed model show ha ma u i y has a signi ican e ec on he ca cass weigh (P < 0.001) wi h a la ge coe icien o 2.90. A a io likelihood es ou pe o med he mixed model mul iple eg ession. The alue o R2 in he linea mixed model is 46.03%, which indica es ha his o al a iabili y can be explained by he mixed eg ession model. The e o e, 53.97% o he a iabili y is a ibu able o o he ac o s no conside ed he e. The Linea Mixed Model o he ela ionship be ween ca cass weigh and ma u i y and he a ms con i ms he esul s o Pea son’s co ela ion be- ween ca cass weigh and ma u i y (Table 3), as well as by PCA (Figu e 5). As p e iously no ed, hese esul s we e also ound by o he esea che s (Bu eš and Ba oň, 2012; Sil a e al., 2019). Consis en wi h Pe hick e al. (2007), Sil a e al. (2019), and Bu eš and Ba oň (2012), we conclude ha he age a which an animal is slaugh e ed de e mines he weigh and composi ion o he ca cass based on he s age o ma u i y eached. Se e al ac o s should be conside ed when de eloping guidelines o educe ca le anspo s ess and sh inkage: he ype o ca le, ambien empe a u e, anspo du a ion, d i ing quali y, and ime and o igin o loading (González e al., 2012a). Conclusion Bee ca cass ai s can be a ec ed by ca cass weigh and ma- u i y, bu only o a limi ed ex en . The hypo hesis ha long dis ances would signi ican ly a ec bee quali y was no con- i med o he Nello e b eed in he condi ions s udied. This could be because o low s ess du ing anspo , as well as he physical cha ac e is ics o he Nello e b eed ha a o g ea e esis ance o opical clima ic condi ions. In addi ion, he s a egy o pu chasing animals wi hin a a- dius o 300 km, equi alen o a maximum o 8 h o anspo ime, is consis en wi h he li e a u e on changes in he quali y o bo ine ca casses due o anspo ime. This is an obse a- ion bene icial o he company and con o ms o he s anda ds equi ed by he B azilian ma ke and o hose ma ke s, o which B azil expo s. An expe imen al s udy on a much smalle scale, wi h an assessmen o s ess indica o s, such as lac a e, glucose concen a ions, co isol concen a ion and c ea ine kinase, no epineph ine and epineph ine, o b uise sco e shee o e al- ua e he consequences on bee ea ing quali y, is necessa y o unde s and any in e ac ion be ween hese pa ame e s and he bene i s o he supply chain so ha he mea indus y can u he imp o e animal wel a e and mea quali y du ing p e-slaugh e comme cial ope a ions. This s udy which used a da ase p o ided by a slaugh e house can se e as a sou ce o use ul indica o s on a la ge scale. Al hough mea p oduc ion has become mo e e icien and line speed has inc eased, he e Table 4. Poin es ima e o a iance componen s o andom e ec s and model e o espec i ely, using he es ic ed maximum likelihood me hod. Lowe and uppe bounds o 95% con idence in e als o he a iance componen s o andom e ec s and model e o Va iances Poin es ima e Lowe limi Uppe limi Random e ec s 0.02979055 0.02698031 0.0328935 Random e o 0.06518885 0.06466902 0.06571286 Downloaded om h ps://academic.oup.com/ as/a icle/doi/10.1093/ as/ xad134/7464012 by gues on 23 Augus 2024