Assessment of Pork Meat Quality Following Electrical Stunning with Varying Rest Times: An Analysis of Lactic Acid Content and pH Value

Suardana, I Wayan and Suharsono, Hamong and Pinatih, Komang Januartha Putra and Suyasa, I Nyoman (2026) Assessment of Pork Meat Quality Following Electrical Stunning with Varying Rest Times: An Analysis of Lactic Acid Content and pH Value. World's Veterinary Journal. 73 - 79. ISSN 23224568

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Abstract

The quality of pork is closely linked to the stress animals experience before slaughter. Implementing practices that ensure adequate rest and minimize stress in animals before slaughter can play a vital role in enhancing meat quality. The present study aimed to evaluate pork quality following electrical stunning with differing rest periods. A total of 24 landrace pigs, aged 5 to 7 months, were randomly assigned to four treatment groups, including pigs with no stunning and a rest period of 24 hours or more (P1), pigs with no stunning and a rest period of less than 24 hours (P2), pigs subjected to electric stunning with a rest of 24 hours or more (P3), and pigs subjected to electric stunning with a rest of less than 24 hours (P4). Muscle glycogen levels were measured using a L-lactic acid colorimetric assay kit, and pH was assessed using established methods. The present results indicated that lactic acid concentrations in pigs that rested for more than 24 hours were higher than those in pigs that rested for less than 24 hours. Lactic acid levels in the control group (without stunning) for a rest period of more than 24 hours were 2,197 ±0.388 mmol/g protein, higher than in pigs with a rest period of less than 24 hours. Similarly, in pigs subjected to electric stunning, lactic acid levels during a rest period of more than 24 hours were 2,057 ±0.391 mmol/g protein, higher than those in pigs with a rest period of less than 24 hours (1.622 ±0.543 mmol/g protein). Meanwhile, pH was higher in P1 (6.04 ±0.16) than in P2 (5.99 ±0.14). However, pH in P4 (6.01 ±0.45) was slightly higher than that in P3 (5.84 ±0.21). Electrical stunning reduced muscle lactic acid levels and pH. Conversely, providing pigs with a longer rest period (>24 hours) before slaughter has been associated with higher muscle lactic acid levels. Therefore, it is recommended to combine electrical stunning with sufficient rest periods (over 24 hours) and to keep the pigs in a spacious area before slaughter. © The Author(s) 2026 Open Access: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	Lactic acid; Meat quality; pH; Resting time; Stunning
Subjects:	S Agriculture > SF Animal culture
Divisions:	World's Veterinary Journal (WVJ)
Page Range:	73 - 79
Journal or Publication Title:	World's Veterinary Journal
Journal Index:	Scopus
Volume:	16
Number:	1
Publisher:	Scienceline Publication
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.54203/scil.2026.wvj7
ISSN:	23224568
Depositing User:	Dr. Alireza Sadeghi
URI:	https://eprints.science-line.com/id/eprint/1706

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