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The prevalence of high rigor mortis temperature beef carcasses at abattoirs across South Africa

Dissertation (MScAgric (Animal Science))--University of Pretoria, 2022.

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Other Authors: Webb, E.C. (Edward Cottington)
Format: Thesis
Language:English
Published: University of Pretoria 2023
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access_status_str Open Access
author2 Webb, E.C. (Edward Cottington)
author_browse Webb, E.C. (Edward Cottington)
author_facet Webb, E.C. (Edward Cottington)
collection Thesis
dc_rights_str_mv © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria.
description Dissertation (MScAgric (Animal Science))--University of Pretoria, 2022.
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institution University of Pretoria (South Africa)
language English
last_indexed 2026-06-10T12:36:26.058Z
license_str Other — see source repository
provenance_str_mv Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository
publishDate 2023
publishDateRange 2023
publishDateSort 2023
publisher University of Pretoria
publisherStr University of Pretoria
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spelling oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/91736 The prevalence of high rigor mortis temperature beef carcasses at abattoirs across South Africa Webb, E.C. (Edward Cottington) jasminemasemola29@gmail.com Hope-Jones, Michelle Masemola, Nthabiseng Innocentia UCTD Meat Science High rigor mortis beef Carcass quality Beef Muscle discouloration Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-02 Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-03 Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-12 Dissertation (MScAgric (Animal Science))--University of Pretoria, 2022. High rigor mortis temperature carcass conditions occur when the pH drops below 6.0 while the temperature is still above 35ﹾC. The aim of this research was to find out if there is an increase in the prevalence of high rigor mortis temperature carcasses in abattoirs across South Africa (SA). With the increase in the production of larger and heavier carcasses in the SA beef industry, it is essential to investigate the factors that might contribute to the increased occurrence of carcass conditions that might affect the supply of beef of consistent quality to consumers. A total of 12 abattoirs, across most of the 9 provinces of SA, were visited. The pH and temperature readings (at 1 hour and 2 hours post mortem) were taken on a total of 180 carcasses (90 per day) over a period of 2 days per abattoir. The beef carcasses were from both grain fed and grass-fed cattle, with additional data collected being whether the abattoir makes use of electrical stimulation (ES) or not, the cold and warm carcass weight, the age, and the fat code and the use of beta-agonists. The temperature at pH6 was measured to check for the proportion of carcasses with high rigor mortis temperature conditions. The frequency of occurrence of high rigor temperature carcasses across the 12 abattoirs was 65.64 %, with most of these carcasses falling under the weight category of 200-300 kg (40.09%). Carcass weight had an effect on the occurrence of rigor at a high temperature (p< 0.001) with an increase in carcass weight leading to an increase in the occurrence. The carcasses that went into rigor mortis at a high temperature, had an average weight of 283kg, while those at risk of going into rigor at high temperature had an average weight of 251kg. The group that did not go into rigor at high mortis temperature, had an average weight of 242kg. In general, it can therefore be said that carcasses that have a weight of over 250kg, are likely to go into rigor mortis at high temperatures. There was a significant effect of age and fat code on the incidence of high rigor (p<0.001 for both). The incidence of occurrence of high rigor temperature increased with an increase in fat code and increase in age. It must be noted however that the majority of the carcasses were fat code 2 and A age carcasses (the data was therefore skewed), which is what the majority of the SA abattoirs produce in terms of their carcasses. The use of beta-agonists (leading to an increase in carcass weight) and the use of ES on heavier carcasses, contribute towards the occurrence of high rigor temperature. Most abattoirs if not all in SA, make use of ES, hence it will be a requirement to manage the duration and timing of the ES correctly. The chiller rooms will also need to be re-adjusted and updated to accommodate the heavier carcasses produced in today’s market so that adequate chilling of the carcasses occurs. Red Meat Research and Development (RMRD). bs2026 Animal and Wildlife Sciences MScAgric (Animal Science) Unrestricted SDG-02: Zero hunger SDG-03: Good health and well-being SDG-12: Responsible consumption and production 2023-07-31T13:18:20Z 2023-07-31T13:18:20Z 2023-09 2022 Dissertation * S2023 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/91736 en © 2023 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria
spellingShingle UCTD
Meat Science
High rigor mortis beef
Carcass quality
Beef
Muscle discouloration
Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-02
Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-03
Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-12
The prevalence of high rigor mortis temperature beef carcasses at abattoirs across South Africa
title The prevalence of high rigor mortis temperature beef carcasses at abattoirs across South Africa
title_full The prevalence of high rigor mortis temperature beef carcasses at abattoirs across South Africa
title_fullStr The prevalence of high rigor mortis temperature beef carcasses at abattoirs across South Africa
title_full_unstemmed The prevalence of high rigor mortis temperature beef carcasses at abattoirs across South Africa
title_short The prevalence of high rigor mortis temperature beef carcasses at abattoirs across South Africa
title_sort prevalence of high rigor mortis temperature beef carcasses at abattoirs across south africa
topic UCTD
Meat Science
High rigor mortis beef
Carcass quality
Beef
Muscle discouloration
Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-02
Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-03
Natural and agricultural sciences theses SDG-12
url http://hdl.handle.net/2263/91736