Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-42gr6 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T04:58:52.360Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Origin and assessment of bruises in beef cattle at slaughter

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 May 2009

A. C. Strappini ,
J. H. M. Metz ,
C. B. Gallo  and
B. Kemp
A. C. Strappini*
Affiliation:
Adaptation Physiology Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile
J. H. M. Metz
Affiliation:
Farm Technology Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 17, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
C. B. Gallo
Affiliation:
Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias, Universidad Austral de Chile, Casilla 567, Valdivia, Chile
B. Kemp
Affiliation:
Adaptation Physiology Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
*
E-mail: ana.strappini@wur.nl
Get access

Abstract

Studies of bruises, as detected on carcasses at the slaughterhouse, may provide useful information about the traumatic situations the animals endure during the pre-slaughter period. In this paper, we review scientific data on the prevalence, risk factors and estimation of the age of bruises in beef cattle. Risk factors such as animal characteristics, transport conditions, stocking density, livestock auction and handling of the animals are discussed. Investigation of the age of bruises could provide information on when in the meat chain bruises occur and, could help to pinpoint where preventive measures should be taken, from the stage of collecting the animals on the farm until slaughter. We review the methods available to assess the age of the bruises; data on human forensic research are also included. The feasibility to identify traumatic episodes during the pre-slaughter period, in order to improve animal welfare is discussed.

Keywords

bruisebeef cattleage of bruisesanimal welfare
Type
Full Paper
Information
animal , Volume 3 , Issue 5 , May 2009 , pp. 728 - 736
Copyright
Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Anderson, B 1973. Study on cattle bruising. Queensland Agricultural Journal 99, 234–240.Google Scholar
Anderson, B, Horder, JC 1979. The Australian Carcass Bruises Scoring System. Queensland Agricultural Journal 105, 281–287.Google Scholar
Bariciak, E, Plint, A, Gaboury, I, Bennett, S 2003. Dating of bruises in children: an assessment of physician accuracy. Pediatrics 112, 804–807.Google Scholar
Basbaum, A, Woolf, C 1999. Pain. Current Biology 9, 429–431.Google Scholar
Betz, P 1994. Histological and enzyme histochemical parameters for the age estimation of human skin wounds. International Journal of Legal Medicine 107, 60–68.Google Scholar
Betz, P, Nerlich, A, Wilske, J, Tübel, J, Wiest, I, Penning, R, Eisenmenger, W 1992. Immunohistochemical localization of fibronectin as a tool for age determination of human skin wounds. International Journal of Legal Medicine 105, 21–26.Google Scholar
Blackshaw, JS, Blackshaw, AW, Kusano, T 1987. Cattle behaviour in a saleyard and its potential to cause bruising. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 27, 753–757.Google Scholar
Bonelli, A, Bacci, S, Norelli, GA 2003. Affinity cytochemistry analysis of mast cells in skin lesions: a possible tool to assess the timing of lesions after death. International Journal of Legal Medicine 117, 331–334.Google Scholar
Broom, DM 1986. Indicators of poor welfare. British Veterinary Journal 142, 524–526.Google Scholar
Broom, DM 1998. Welfare, stress, and the evolution of feelings. Advances in the Study of Behavior 27, 371–403.Google Scholar
Chile, Ministerio de Agricultura. 1992. Establece sistema obligatorio de clasificación de ganado, tipificación y nomenclatura de sus carnes y regula el funcionamiento de mataderos, frigoríficos y establecimientos de la industria de la carne. Diario Oficial de la República, Ley no. 19.162.Google Scholar
Chile, Instituto Nacional de Normalización, INN. 2002 Norma Chilena Oficial NCh 1306 of 2002. Canales de bovino: Definiciones y tipificación.Google Scholar
Dressler, J, Bachmann, L, Strejc, P, Koch, R, Müller, E 2000. Expression of adhesion molecules in skin wounds: diagnostic value in legal medicine. Forensic Science International 113, 173–176.Google Scholar
Eldridge, GA, Winfield, CG 1988. The behaviour and bruising of cattle during transport at different space allowances. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 28, 695–698.Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Regional Office for Asia and The Pacific 2001. Chapter 2: Effects of stress and injury on meat and by-product quality. In Guidelines for humane handling, transport and slaughter of livestock (ed. G Heinz and T Srisuvan), pp. 6–10.Google Scholar
Fordyce, G, Goddard, ME, Tyler, R, William, G, Toleman, MA 1985. Temperament and bruising of Bos indicus cross cattle. Australian Journal of Experimental Agricultural 25, 283–288.Google Scholar
Gallo, C, Caro, M, Villarroel, C 1999. Characteristics of cattle slaughtered within the Xth Region (Chile) according to the terms stated by the official Chilean standards for classification and carcass grading. Archivos de Medicina Veterinaria 31, 81–88.Google Scholar
Gracey, JF, Collins, DS 1992. Meat hygiene. Bailliere Tindall, London.Google Scholar
Grandin, T 1980. Livestock behavior as related to handling facilities design. International Journal of the Study of Animal Problems 1, 33–52.Google Scholar
Grandin, T 1993. The effect of previous experiences on livestock behavior during handling. Agri-Practice 14, 15–20.Google Scholar
Grandin, T 1998. Handling methods and facilities to reduce stress on cattle. Veterinary Clinics of North America-Food Animal Practice 14, 325–341.Google Scholar
Grandin, T 2000. Livestock handling and transport, 2nd edition. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Grandin, T, Gallo, C 2007. Cattle transport. In Livestock handling and transport, 3rd edition, pp. 134–154. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Gregory, N 2004. Pain: pain associated with trauma. In Physiology and behaviour of animal suffering. Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW) (ed. J Kirkwood, R Hubrecht and E Roberts), pp. 94–103. Blackwell publishing, Oxford, UK.Google Scholar
Gregory, N 2007. Animal welfare and meat production, 2nd edition. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Grellner, W 2002. Time-dependent immunohistochemical detection of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha in human skin wounds. Forensic Science International 130, 90–96.Google Scholar
Grellner, W, Madea, B 2007. Demands on scientific studies: vitality of wounds and wound age estimation. Forensic Science International 165, 150–154.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Grellner, W, Dimmeler, B, Madea, B 2005. Immunohistochemical detection of fibronectin in post mortem incised wounds of porcine skin. Forensic Science International 97, 109–116.Google Scholar
Hamdy, MK, Kunkle, LE, Deatherage, FE 1957a. Bruised tissue II. Determination of the age of a bruise. Journal of Animal Science 16, 490–495.Google Scholar
Hamdy, MK, Kunkle, LE, Rheins, MS, Deatherage, FE 1957b. Bruised tissue III. Some factors affecting experimental bruises. Journal of Animal Science 16, 496–501.Google Scholar
Hoffman, DE, Spire, MF, Schwenke, JR, Unruh, JA 1998. Effect of source of cattle and distance transported to a commercial slaughter facility on carcass bruises in mature beef cows. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 212, 668–672.Google Scholar
Honkavaara, M, Rintasalo, E, Ylonen, J, Pudas, T 2003. Meat quality and transport stress of cattle. Deutsche Tierärztliche Wochenschrift 110, 125–128.Google Scholar
Horder, JC, Strachan, RT, Ramsay, WR, Burns, MA 1982. Bruising comparison of three methods of selling beef cattle. Animal Production in Australia 14, 593.Google Scholar
Hughes, VK, Ellis, PS, Burt, T, Langlois, NEI 2004. The practical application of reflectance spectrophotometry for the demonstration of haemoglobin and its degradation in bruises. Journal of Clinical Pathology 57, 355–359.Google Scholar
Hughes, VK, Ellis, PS, Langlois, NEI 2006. Alternative light source (polilight®) illumination with digital image analysis does not assist in determining the age of bruises. Forensic Science International 158, 104–107.Google Scholar
Jarvis, AM, Selkirk, L, Cockram, MS 1995. The influence of source, sex class and pre-slaughter handling on the bruising of cattle at two slaughterhouses. Livestock Production Science 43, 215–224.Google Scholar
Kenny, FJ, Tarrant, PV 1987. The behaviour of young Friesian bulls during social re-grouping at an abattoir. Influence of an overhead electrified wire grid. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 18, 233–246.Google Scholar
Knowles, TG 1999. A review of the road transport of cattle. Veterinary Record 144, 197–201.Google Scholar
Kondo, T 2007. Timing of skin wounds. Legal Medicine 9, 109–114.Google Scholar
Langlois, NEI 2007. The science behind the quest to determine the age of bruises – a review of the English language literature. Forensic Science, Medicine, and Pathology 3, 241–251.Google Scholar
Langlois, NEI, Gresham, GA 1991. The aging of bruises – a review and study of the color changes with time. Forensic Science International 50, 227–238.Google Scholar
Lensink, BJ, Fernandez, X, Cozzi, G, Florand, L, Veissier, I 2001. The influence of farmers’ behavior on calves’ reactions to transport and quality of veal meat. Journal of Animal Science 79, 642–652.Google Scholar
Maguire, S, Mann, MK, Sibert, J, Kemp, A 2005. Can you age bruises accurately in children? A systematic review. Archives of Disease in Childhood 90, 187–189.Google Scholar
Manteca, X 1998. Neurophysiology and assessment of welfare. Meat Science 49, 205–218.Google Scholar
Marshall, BL 1977. Bruising in cattle presented for slaughter. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 25, 83–86.Google Scholar
McCausland, IP, Dougherty, R 1978. Histological ageing of bruises in lambs and calves. Australian Veterinary Journal 54, 525–527.Google Scholar
McCausland, IP, Millar, HWC 1982. Time of occurrence of bruises in slaughtered cattle. Australian Veterinary Journal 58, 253–255.Google Scholar
McGlone, JJ 1986. Agonistic behaviour in food animals: review of research and techniques. Journal of Animal Science 62, 1130–1139.Google Scholar
McNally, PW, Warriss, PD 1996. Recent bruising in cattle at abattoirs. Veterinary Record 138, 126–128.Google Scholar
Meischke, HRC, Horder, JC 1976. A knocking box effect on bruising in cattle. Food Technology in Australia 28, 369–371.Google Scholar
Meischke, HRC, Ramsay, WR, Shaw, FD 1974. The effect of horns on bruising in cattle. Australian Veterinary Journal 50, 432–434.Google Scholar
Minka, NS, Ayo, JO 2007. Effects of loading behaviour and road transport stress on traumatic injuries in cattle transported by road during the hot-dry season. Livestock Science 107, 91–95.Google Scholar
Nanni Costa, L, Lo Fiego, DP, Tassone, F, Russo, V 2006. The relationship between carcass bruising in bulls and behaviour observed during pre-slaughter phases. Veterinary Research Communications 30, 379–381.Google Scholar
Northcutt, JK, Buhr, RJ, Rowland, GN 2000. Relationship of broiler bruise age to appearance and tissue histological characteristics. Journal of Applied Poultry Research 9, 13–20.Google Scholar
Psaroudakis, K, Tzatzarakis, MN, Tsatsakis, AM, Michalodimitrakis, MN 2001. The application of histochemical methods to the age evaluation of skin wounds: experimental study in rabbits. American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology 22, 341–345.Google Scholar
Raekallio, J 1965. Histochemical demonstration of enzymatic response to injury in experimental skin wounds. Experimental and Molecular Pathology 4, 303–310.Google Scholar
Randeberg, L, Haugen, O, Haaverstad, R 2006. A novel approach to age determination of traumatic injuries by reflectance spectroscopy. Lasers in Surgery and Medicine 38, 277–289.Google Scholar
Sawaguchi, T, Jasani, B, Kobayashi, M, Knight, B 2000. Post-mortem analysis of apoptotic changes associated with human skin bruises. Forensic Science International 108, 187–203.Google Scholar
Strappini, AC, Frankena, K, Metz, JHM, Gallo, CB, Kemp, B 2008. Presence of bruising in cattle beef carcasses in Chile. In Proceedings of 4th International Workshop on the Assessment of Animal Welfare at Farm and Group Level (WAFL), Ghent, Belgium.Google Scholar
Tarrant, PV, Grandin, T 2000. Cattle transport. In Livestock Handling of Transport (ed. T Grandin), 2nd edition, pp. 151–173. CAB International, Wallingford, UK.Google Scholar
Tarrant, PV, Kenny, FJ, Harrington, D 1988. The effect of stocking density during 4 h transport to slaughter on behaviour, blood constituents and carcass bruising in Friesian steers. Meat Science 24, 209–222.Google Scholar
Tarrant, PV, Kenny, FJ, Harrington, A, Murphy, M 1992. Long distance transportation of steers to slaughter: effect of stocking density on physiology, behaviour and carcass quality. Livestock Production Science 30, 223–238.Google Scholar
Thornton, RN, Jolly, RD 1986. The objective interpretation of histopathological data: an application to the ageing of ovine bruises. Forensic Science International 31, 225–239.Google Scholar
Vanezis, P 2001. Interpreting bruises at necropsy. Journal of Clinical Pathology 54, 348–355.Google Scholar
von Holleben, K, Henke, S, Schmidt, T, Bostelmann, N, von Wenzlawowicz, M, Hartung, J 2003. Handling of slaughter cattle in pre and post transport situations including loading and unloading on journeys up to 8 h in Germany. Deutsche Tierärztliche Wochenschrift 110, 93–99.Google Scholar
Warriss, PD 1990. The handling of cattle pre-slaughter and its effects on carcass and meat quality. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 28, 171–186.Google Scholar
Weeks, CA, McNally, PW, Warriss, PD 2002. Influence of the design of facilities at auction markets and animal handling procedures on bruising in cattle. Veterinary Record 150, 743–748.Google Scholar
Wythes, JR, Shorthose, WR 1991. Chronological age and dentition effects on carcass and meat quality of cattle in Northern Australia. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 31, 145–152.Google Scholar
Wythes, JR, Arthur, RJ, Thompson, PJM, Williams, GE, Bond, JH 1981. Effect of transporting cows various distances on live weight, carcass traits and muscle pH. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 21, 557–561.Google Scholar
Wythes, JR, Kaus, RK, Newman, GA 1985. Bruising in beef cattle slaughtered at an abattoir in Southern Queensland. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture and Animal Husbandry 25, 727–733.Google Scholar
Wythes, JR, Shorthose, WR, Dodt, RM, Dickison, RF 1989. Carcass and meat quality of Bos indicus × Bos taurus and Bos taurus cattle in Northern Australia. Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture 29, 757–763.Google Scholar
Yeh, E, Anderson, B, Jones, PN, Shaw, FD 1978. Bruising in cattle transported over long distances. Veterinary Record 103, 117–119.Google Scholar