India study links poultry transport stress to meat quality loss

• Ultimate pH: Highest in T4 (6.22), lowest in T1 (5.88).
• Drip loss: Ranged from 0.30% to 0.51%, not statistically significant.
• Shear force: Rose gradually, reaching 1.73 kg/cm² in T4.

Sensory attributes declined after four hours of transport.

• Appearance and color: Dropped from 7.2 in T1 to 5.4 in T4.
• Texture: Fell from 6.0 in T1 to 5.2 in T4.
• Juiciness: Declined steadily, lowest in T4 at 5.4.
• Overall acceptability: Highest in T3 (6.4), lowest in T4 (5.6).

Flavor remained stable across all groups, showing no significant difference.

Stress biomarkers

Blood analysis revealed sharp increases in stress indicators with longer transport.

• Creatinine: Rose from 1.36 mg/dl in T1 to 21.4 mg/dl in T4.
• ALT and AST: Both liver enzymes increased significantly with transport time.
• H/L ratio: Climbed from 0.40 in T1 to 1.13 in T4.
• Corticosterone: Nearly doubled between control and transported groups.

Oxidative stress markers also shifted.

• Glutathione peroxidase: Declined sharply, from 1.44 in T1 to 0.04 in T4.
• Superoxide dismutase: Increased significantly, highest in T3 and T4.
• Packed cell volume: Dropped from 32.1% in T1 to 26.8% in T4.

These biochemical changes confirm that prolonged transport disrupts homeostasis and damages liver health.

Implications for poultry welfare

The study concludes that transporting broilers for more than four hours under Indian conditions significantly harms welfare and meat quality.

Shorter journeys reduce stress, improve product value, and protect farmer income. Limiting transport time is therefore essential for both animal welfare and economic sustainability.