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Stunning and slaughter methods in gilthead seabream: animal welfare and muscle quality

2026-01Journal article Open access
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dc.contributor.authorCabrera-Álvarez, María José
dc.contributor.authorSoares, Sónia Marina António
dc.contributor.authorNuñez Velazquez, Samira
dc.contributor.authorAnibal, Jaime
dc.contributor.authorEsteves, Eduardo
dc.contributor.authorCosta, Rita
dc.contributor.authorGuerreiro, Pedro Miguel
dc.contributor.authorPousão-Ferreira, Pedro
dc.contributor.authorArechavala-López, Pablo
dc.contributor.authorSaraiva, João
dc.date.accessioned2025-09-17T09:43:54Z
dc.date.available2025-09-17T09:43:54Z
dc.date.issued2026-01
dc.description.abstractEuropean Union directives and international guidelines emphasise the need for humane slaughter practices, with particular attention to the proper stunning of fish prior to slaughter. This study investigates the impact of various combinations of stunning and slaughter methods on the welfare of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), a widely farmed species in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. Specifically, the study explores electrical stunning, anaesthesia, and no stunning, followed by slaughter using either ice-slurry or the ikejime (hand-held spike tool) technique. Fish were monitored for visual signs of consciousness, heart rate, internal temperature, plasma stress and osmotic parameters, and muscle quality parameters. The findings revealed that electrical stunning, although inducing brief unconsciousness, did not sustain it long enough to be effectively combined with ice-slurry, resulting in stress responses and muscle quality parameters comparable to those observed in unstunned fish. In contrast, anaesthesia effectively reduced stress and improved meat quality. The ikejime technique, despite its labour-intensive nature, demonstrated significant advantages, including reduced physiological stress and superior muscle quality outcomes. These results suggest that the viability of electrical stunning as a humane option for industry implementation has important limitations, while ikejime, with further refinement and automation, could offer a humane and effective solution to optimise both animal welfare and meat quality in industrial settings.eng
dc.description.sponsorshipEMBRC.PT ALG-01-0145-FEDER022121, and project INOVAQUA (MAR-021.1.3-FEAMPA-00004)
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.aquaculture.2025.742963
dc.identifier.issn0044-8486
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.1/27700
dc.language.isoeng
dc.peerreviewedyes
dc.publisherElsevier
dc.relationAlgarve Centre for Marine Sciences
dc.relationCentre for Marine and Environmental Research
dc.relationCentre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIMA)
dc.relationCentre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIMA)
dc.relationLA/P/0069/2020
dc.relation.ispartofAquaculture
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
dc.subjectCompassionate killing
dc.subjectAquaculture
dc.subjectAnimal care
dc.subjectUnconsciousness
dc.subjectAlternative methods
dc.titleStunning and slaughter methods in gilthead seabream: animal welfare and muscle qualityeng
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.awardTitleAlgarve Centre for Marine Sciences
oaire.awardTitleCentre for Marine and Environmental Research
oaire.awardTitleCentre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIMA)
oaire.awardTitleCentre for Marine and Environmental Research (CIMA)
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F04326%2F2020/PT
oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/LA%2FP%2F0101%2F2020/PT
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oaire.awardURIinfo:eu-repo/grantAgreement/FCT/6817 - DCRRNI ID/UIDB%2F00350%2F2020/PT
oaire.citation.startPage742963
oaire.citation.titleAquaculture
oaire.citation.volume611
oaire.fundingStream6817 - DCRRNI ID
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oaire.versionhttp://purl.org/coar/version/c_970fb48d4fbd8a85
person.familyNameCabrera-Álvarez
person.familyNameSoares
person.familyNameNuñez Velazquez
person.familyNameAnibal
person.familyNameEsteves
person.familyNameCosta
person.familyNameGuerreiro
person.familyNameSaraiva
person.givenNameMaría José
person.givenNameSónia Marina António
person.givenNameSamira
person.givenNameJaime
person.givenNameEduardo
person.givenNameRita
person.givenNamePedro Miguel
person.givenNameJoão
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person.identifier.orcid0000-0002-8891-8881
person.identifier.ridA-6080-2010
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person.identifier.scopus-author-id6506031408
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project.funder.identifierhttp://doi.org/10.13039/501100001871
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project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
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project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
project.funder.nameFundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
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