2. ISLAMIC SLAUGHTERING AND MEAT QUALITY
Prof. Dr. Javaid Aziz Awan
Country Director
Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America, Shan Plaza, New Garden Town, Lahore
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3. 4/12/2017

4. Meat indispensable for sound human health
INTRODUCTION
Meat indispensable for sound human health
Provides several essential nutrients:
Proteins
Amino acids
Mineral elements
Vitamins
Meat subject to spoilage by:
Chemical reactions
Biochemical reactions
Biological agents, including bacteria
Responsible for food-borne diseases
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5. Hence meat be produced so as to:
INTRODUCTION
Hence meat be produced so as to:
Minimize chemical and biochemical changes
Prevent chances of bacterial contamination and growth
Preserve quality
Slaughtering of lawful animals and birds essential to prepare for food purposes
Pre-slaughter management and bleeding methods regulated by:
religious practices and
legislations
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6. ESSENTIALS OF HALAL SLAUGHTERING
Islamic method of slaughtering - based on two important principles:
Tasmiya - invoking name of Allah - slaughter being done with His permission
Tazkiyah - means purification
This in accordance with several commands given in the Holy Quran
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7. ESSENTIALS OF HALAL 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) ….…. (Al Maida - V:4)
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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8. ESSENTIALS OF HALAL 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 mental faculties
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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9. ESSENTIALS OF HALAL 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
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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10. 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
All carnivorous animals
All birds of prey
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11. All herbivorous, even-toed ruminants Animal for Halal slaughter be:
1. Selection of animals
Permitted animals:
All herbivorous, even-toed ruminants
Animal for Halal slaughter be:
Healthy
Free from any apparent or hidden impurities/disease
Must be legally owned
The Holy Prophet (pbuh) advised companions to use very sharp knife
Further instructed that sharpening of knife not be performed in front of slaying animal
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12. 3. Rest prior to slaughtering
Islam promotes calm and rested animals prior to slaughtering:
Not fatigued
Not excited
Not nervous
Prohibited - 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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13. 3. Rest prior to slaughtering – Scientific evidence
Modern methods require animal prior to slaughtering not be subjected to:
Stress
Fatigue
Neurotic
Otherwise excited
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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14. 3. Rest prior to slaughtering – Scientific evidence
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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15. 4. Stress prior to slaughtering- Scientifc evidence
Generally regarded undesirable that animal awaiting slaughter view slaughtering process – causes stress
Animals under stress - lead to undue emotional instability and fatigue
Anorexia, etc. Discharge hormones from adrenal glands:
adrenaline from adrenal medulla
17 hydroxy- and 11-deoxy-corticosterones from adrenal cortex
Hormones deplete muscle glycogen and potassium
Deleterious effects on meat quality
To prevent these adverse effects, tranquilizers recommended to calm stocks in transit.
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16. provided with drinking water
5. 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
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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17. 5. Feeding the animals – Scientific evidence
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
Fasted animals - Disadvantages:
Loss in weight of carcass and liver
Lower glycogen reserves in muscles
Reduced gustative quality of meat
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18. 5. Feeding the animals – Scientific evidence
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
Meat spoilage bacteria prefer growth at high pH levels - around pH 7.0
Any decrease from normal value of about 6.8 reduces chances of bacterial multiplication, especially food poisoning ones
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19. 5. Feeding the animals – Scientific evidence
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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20. 6. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE - Halal
Slaughtering rules apply to animals and birds in complete physical control of man - all domesticated birds and animals (except camel)
Conventionally, slaughtering process consists of two to three different stages
Depends on religious practices and legislations
Posture of animal and bleeding method governed by religious and national legislations
Western countries require animals be stunned before slaughtering
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
Muslims and Jews not in favour of stunning
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21. 6. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE Modern method - 1. Stunning
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 cutMethod 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
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22. 6. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE – Modern method -1. Stunning
Electrical stunning widely used
increases frequency of ‘blood splash” - appearance of small dark red areas in meat
also lowers glycogen reserves of muscle
approximately in 5 % electrically stunned animals heart failure - animal dead before incision made
Stunning - outcome of industrial revolution
Initially meant to protect the slaughterer and other employees
Reality - no relation with mercy on animals
More animals be slaughtered in least time
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23. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 2. Animal positioning
Islamic method - lay animal on left flank preferably facing Kibla
Scientific evidence
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
During convulsions blood squeezed out of vessels
Hence more blood drains out
a pre-requisite for meat of superior eating and keeping quality
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24. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 2. Animal positioning -Scientific evidence
During convulsions blood squeezed out of vessels
Hence more blood drains out
a pre-requisite for meat of superior eating and keeping quality
Evidence suggests more blood lost from sheep in horizontal position than those hung vertically
Islam permits use of knife or any sharp object for bleeding
Incision made in neck with simultaneous recitation of the name of Allah - Takbir
Takbir has religious significance to believer
makes submission to Allah
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25. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 3. Bleeding techniques
Slaughtering actually done in the name of Allah
“So eat of (meats) on which God’s name has been pronounced if ye have faith in His Signs”
(Al Anaam - Vl:118).
Slaughtering not in name of any person or deity in accordance with following commands:
“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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26. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 3. Bleeding techniques - Islamic method
Cut throat transversely without injuring spinal cord to severe carotid arteries, jugular veins, oesophagus and trachea
Two requirements in slaughter of animals for meat:
animals be dispatched without unnecessary suffering
bleeding be as complete as possible
When both carotid arteries and veins severed connection between brain and body retained via spinal cord and 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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27. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 3. Bleeding techniques – Scientific evidence
Results of a comparison of study on different methods of slaughtering:
Maximum blood lost in Kosher method
Jewish method similar to Islamic as regards physical details
Minimum when chicken simply beheaded
Islamic method ensures maximum blood drainage from body before completion of death process
Unconsciousness induced between 3 to 6 seconds
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28. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 3. Bleeding – Scientific evidence
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
To produce good carcass animal be bled effectively
Heart and respiratory system must function continuously as long as possible after severance of blood vessels
This attained most thoroughly when heart and respiratory functions retained by maintaining medulla oblongata/spinal cord
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29. SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 3. Bleeding techniques – Scientific evidence
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
HENCE BETTER QUALITY OF MEAT
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30. ANIMAL RIGTHTS IN ISLAM
Islam recognized animal rights long before human rights recognized in Western World
Numerous Ahadiths on kindness and mercy towards animals
Holy Prophet (pbuh) advised:
Nourish animals well
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 kill even a sparrow or smaller bird (other than for food)
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31. 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
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32. Thank You HALAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
Head Office:  192- Ahmad Block, New Garden Town , Lahore, Pakistan  Ph: , Fax: Web: