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13-Jan-15 1

Islamic Slaughtering and

Meat Quality

Dr. Javaid Aziz Awan

National Institute of Food Science and

Technology,

University of Agriculture, Faisalabad

13-Jan-15 2

INTRODUCTION

�Meat indispensable for sound human health

�Provides several essential nutrients:

�Amino acids

�Mineral elements

�Vitamins

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INTRODUCTION

�Meat subject to spoilage by:

�Chemical reactions

�Biochemical reactions

�Biological agents, including bacteria

�Responsible for food-borne diseases

�Hence meat be produced so as to:

�Minimize chemical and biochemical changes

�Prevent chances of bacterial contamination

and growth to preserve quality

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INTRODUCTION

� Slaughtering of lawful animals and birds essential to

prepare for food purposes

� Pre-slaughter management and bleeding methods

regulated by religious practices and legislations

� Earliest recorded laws on handling, care and slaughter

of animals - Ahadith by the Holy Prophet (pbuh)

� These often in response to queries or result of his

(pbuh) personal observations

� These guidelines laid down over 1430 years

� Modern scientific discoveries just testified implications

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ESSENTIALS OF ISLAMIC METHOD OF

SLAUGHTERING

� Islamic method of slaughtering - based on two

important principles:

�Tasmiya

�Tazkiyah

�Tasmiya refers to invoking name of Allah

�means slaughter being done with His

permission

�This in accordance with several commands

given in the Holy Quran

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SLAUGHTERING“Forbidden to you (for food,) are: dead meat,

blood, the flesh of swine, and that on which

hath been invoked the name of other than God;

that which hath been killed by strangling, or by

a violent blow, or by a head long fall, or by

being gored to death; that which hath been

partly eaten by a wild animal, unless ye are

able to slaughter it (in due form) ;.;;;;.

(V:4)

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SLAUGHTERING

�Tazkiyah means purification - cleaning meat of

blood by slaughter

�Consumption of blood prohibited in Holy

Scriptures:

�Holy Bible - Leviticus 3:17 and 7:26

�Holy Quran - VI:146

�All lawful animals and birds contain blood

�Blood must be drained as per these commands

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SLAUGHTERING

�The Holy Prophet (pbuh) gave comprehensive

guidelines on slaughtering of animals in

following Hadith:

�“Verily Allah, has prescribed proficiency in all

things. Thus, if you kill, kill well; and if you

slaughter, slaughter well. Let each one of you

sharpen his blade and let him spare suffering to

the animal he slaughters”.

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SLAUGHTERING

�Process of slaughtering in Islam - consolidated

�Slaughterer:

�Must be adult Muslim or

�One who believes in Holy Scriptures

�Should be in possession of his mentalfaculties

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SLAUGHTERING

�Lay animal (except camel) on its left flank,

preferably facing Kibla

�Recite name of Allah (Subhan Allah, or La illaha

illila ho, or Allah-o-Akbar or Bismillah Allah-o-

Akbar)

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SLAUGHTERING

�Give quick incision using very sharp knife on

front of the neck to severe:

�Wind pipe

�Oesophagus

�Carotid arteries

�Jugular veins

�Prohibited - practice of cutting off part of an

animal or removing its skin while still alive

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PRE-SLAUGHTER HANDLING OF

ANIMALS - 1. Selection of animals

� Islam permits consumption of few animals and birds only

�Strictly prohibited:

�Pork

�Blood

�Carrion

�Dead animals ;;;.

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PRE-SLAUGHTER HANDLING OF

ANIMALS - 1. Selection of animals

�Animals died natural death

�Animals died as result of:

�Beating

�Strangling

�Falling from a height

�Goring of horns

�Devoured of wild beasts

�Animals dedicated to others than Allah

�Animals immolated to idols

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1. Selection of animals

�Also prohibited:

�All carnivorous animals

�All birds of prey

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1. Selection of animals

�Permitted animals:

�All herbivorous, even-toed, ruminants

�Animal meant for slaughtering be:

�Healthy

�Free from any apparent or

hidden impurities/diseases

�Must be legally owned.

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2. Rest prior to slaughtering

� Islam promotes calm and rested animals prior

to slaughtering:

� Not fatigued

� Not excited

� Not nervous

Slaughtering Instrument

�The Holy Prophet (pbuh) advised companions

to sharpen knives to their best

�Further instructed not to perform this operation

in front of slaying animal

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�Not Permitted - Any act that causes neurosis or

excitement or other abnormal behavioural

changes in animal

�Prohibited in Islam - Practice of collective

slaughtering - other animals do not view their

companion being killed

�Research reveals

practices inhumane

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�Rough handling of animals in pre-slaughter

period adversely affects meat quality

�Result - dark, firm and dry meat (dark cutting

meat)

�Fatigued or starved animals - Organisms

from gut may invade blood stream and

eventually muscles

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�Modern methods require animal prior to

slaughtering not be subjected to:

�Stress

�Fatigue

�Neurotic

�Otherwise excited

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�Proper relaxation before slaughtering:

�Helps animal to bleed well

�Builds up muscle glycogen essential to lower pH of meat

�Increases storage life by reducing chances of microbial growth

�Improves taste due to conditioning/ tenderness

�Helps delay or reduce fermentation in stomach - may otherwise give meat characteristic smell known as ‘bone taint’.

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� Generally regarded undesirable that animal awaiting slaughter view slaughtering process – cause stress

� Animals under stress - lead to undue emotional instability, fatigue, anorexia, etc.,

� Discharge hormones from adrenal glands:

�adrenaline from adrenal medulla

�17 hydroxy- and 11-deoxycorticosterones from adrenal cortex

� Hormones deplete muscle glycogen and potassium

� Deleterious effects on meat quality

� To prevent these adverse effects, tranquilizersrecommended to calm stocks in transit.

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3. Feeding the animals

�Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) advised that

animals destined for slaughtering be:

�well fed

�provided with drinking water

� Preferable that animals have free access to

feed and water prior to slaughtering.

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�Two schools of thoughts:

�Animal to remain hungry - Fasting

�Animal be well fed

�Fasting animals - Fasting animals before

slaughter recommended in modern abattoirs

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Fasting Animals

Advantages claimed:

� Bleed better

� Carcass easier to dress

� Carcass has brighter appearance

� Reduced bulk of animal’s stomach

� Reduced chances of bacterial contamination

from gut

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�Fasting Animals

�Disadvantages of fasted animals:

�Loss in weight of carcass and liver

�Lower glycogen reserves in muscles

�Reduced gustative quality of meat

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Well-fed animals:

�Glycogen level in muscle reaches higher level

�Ensures production of adequate lactic acid

�Lowers pH of meat

�Such meat has good:

�Appearance

�Taste

�Tenderness

�Longer shelf-life

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�Well-fed animals

�Meat spoilage bacteria prefer growth at high pH

levels - around pH 7.0

�Most bacteria, especially food poisoning ones

do not grow at pH below 3.5

�Any decrease from normal value of about 6.8

reduces chances of bacterial multiplication,

especially food poisoning ones

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�Meat of soothed and well-fed animals:

�pH attains 5.5 or even lower level

�Meat of fatigued or neurotic animals:

�pH varies from 6.5 to 7.0

�To produce meat of good keeping and eating

quality, often recommended to feed animals

prior to slaughtering

� In some cases sugar solution fed to quickly

restore glycogen level in tissues

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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE

�Slaughtering rules apply to animals and birds in complete physical control of man - all domesticated birds and animals (except camel)

�Camel slaughtered by method known as ‘nahr’

� Involves piercing throat with sharp, spear-like instrument while standing

�Blood streams out, bleeding makes animal fall lifeless to ground

�Any animal or bird gone wild and cannot be reached or caught, falls under category of ‘game animal’ - different rituals apply

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�Conventionally, slaughtering process consists

of two to three different stages

�Depends on religious practices and legislations

�Muslims and Jews not in favour of stunning

�Western countries require animals be stunned

before slaughtering

�Posture of animal and bleeding method

governed by religious and national legislations

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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 1. Stunning

�Stunning widely practiced in Western abattoirs

�Main objective - make animal unconscious for

gentle and painless death

�No standard method for all animals under all

conditions

�Stunning effective in having calm animal


�Stunning may adversely affect quality of

carcass - cause injury to medulla oblongata in

brain - controls blood circulation and

respiration

�Desirable these systems continue to function -

help pump blood out of carcass when blood

vessels cut

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Stunning Methods

�Older method involved hitting animal on its head with a hammer

� Stunning methods in vogue:

�Pole-axe

�Free bullet

�Captive bolt pistol

�Concussion stunner

�Electrical stunning

�Carbon dioxide anesthesia

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�Method of shooting by free bullet - too

dangerous to use in abattoirs

�Captive bolt - discarded

�Carbon dioxide anesthesia - exact dose of gas

important for specific length of time

�does not seem possible with all animals

under all conditions.

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�Electrical stunning widely used now-a-days

�increases frequency of ‘blood splash” -

appearance of small dark red areas in meat

�also lowers glycogen reserves of muscle

�estimated approximately in 5 % electrically

stunned animals heart failure - animal dead

before incision made

�consumers eat carrion and not meat

�Objectionable in West, also prohibited by

Holy Scriptures

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�Stunning - outcome of industrial revolution in West

�Maximum animals be slaughtered in least time

�Reality - no relation with mercy on animals

� Industrial revolution - provided mankind with innumerable benefits

� inflicted damaging blows on some aspects of human nutrition

�Example - refinement of wheat flour

�Stunning might turn out harmful

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�Debates - Muslims could eat meat of animals

bled after stunning, even if all other

requirements fulfilled

�Views expressed in favour and against

�Some Muslim countries accept, some do not

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2. Animal positioning

� Islamic method - lay animal on left flank

preferably facing Kibla

�When laid on left flank, likelihood of more blood

to drain owing to body pressure on heart

�Laying animal enables it to convulse - results

from contraction of muscles due to lack of

oxygen in brain cells when incision made in

neck

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2. Animal positioning

�During convulsions blood squeezed out of

vessels

�Hence more blood drains out - a pre-requisite

for meat of superior quality

�Evidence suggests more blood lost from sheep

in horizontal position than those hung vertically

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3. Bleeding techniques

� Islam permits use of knife or any sharp object

for bleeding except finger nail and bone

� In an emergency use of sharp stone, white

stone, bamboo and sharp arrow permitted

� Incision made in neck with simultaneous

recitation of the name of Allah - Takbir

�Takbir has religious significance to believer who

makes submission to Allah, since assumed that

life taken out of animal with His permission

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�Slaughtering actually done in the name of Allah

�Slaughtering not in name of any person or deity in accordance with following commands:

�“So eat of (meats) on which God’s name has been pronounced if ye have faith in His Signs” (Vl:118).

� “Eat not of meats on which God’s name has not been pronounced: that would be impiety. But the evil ones ever inspire their friends to commit end with you if ye were to obey them, ye would indeed be Pagans” (Vl:121).

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�Modern methods - domestic fowls and turkeys

may be slaughtered instantaneously by means

of decapitation or dislocation of neck

�Present-day slaughterhouses

�anterior vena cava severed on one side in

cattle

�carotid arteries in goats and sheep

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� Islamic method:

�Cut throat transversely to severe carotid

arteries, jugular veins, oesophagus and trachea

without injuring spinal cord

�Two essentials in slaughter of animals for meat:

� animals be dispatched without unnecessary

suffering

�bleeding be as complete as possible

�

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�When both carotid arteries severed unconsciousness in sheep induced between 3 to 6 seconds

� Islamic method ensures maximum blood drainage from body before completion of death process

�Connection between brain and body retained via spinal cord

�Brain sends messages to heart and lungs

�Heart pumps blood to parts of body - drained out from severed blood vessels in neck

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Results of a comparative study

�Three different methods of slaughtering

employed:

�Maximum blood lost in Kosher method

�Jewish method similar to Islamic as regards

physical details

�Minimum when chicken simply beheaded

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�Blood excellent medium for growth of

microorganisms

�Meat retaining more blood than critical level

liable to bacterial spoilage

�Blood retention in tissues can cause unpleasant

appearance and discolouration in meat

�Keeping and eating qualities of meat depend, in

part, on removal of maximum blood from

carcass

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�To produce good carcass animal be bled

effectively

�Heart and respiratory system must function

continuously as long as possible after

severance

�This attained most thoroughly when heart and

respiratory functions retained by maintaining

medulla oblongata/spinal cord

13-Jan-15 48



Positioning of animal in Islamic method:

� clearly prevents retraction of carotids

� ensures rapid onset of unconsciousness and

painless death

� In Islamic method of slaughtering maximum

blood drained - outranks other slaughtering

techniques

13-Jan-15 49

EXTRODUCTION

� Islam recognized animal rights long before human rights recognized in Western World

� Numerous Ahadiths reflect Islam advocates kindness and mercy towards animals

� Holy Prophet (pbuh) advised:

� Nourish animals wel

� Save animals from hunger and thirst

� Show kindness to animals

� Do not hit or mark animal on its face

� Do not shoot arrows at cattle or bird tied or held up

� Do not fight animals for sports or recreation

� Do not unjustly killing even a sparrow or smaller bird (other than for food)

13-Jan-15 50

EXTRODUCTION

�Current scientific data reveals Islamic

recommendations for slaughtering animals

highly rational

�Good physique and health considered basic

requirement for selection of food animals

�Pre-slaughter management of animals requires

they should not be fatigued, excited or neurotic

�Proper rest, absence of hunger and thirst and

use of sharp knife alleviate pains of death

13-Jan-15 51

Thank You

�Open for

Discussion

islamic slaughtering and meat qualitylibvolume4.xyz/foodtechnology/bsc/semester6/technolog… ·...

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