Transcript islamic method of slaughtering in the light of scientific knowledge

Islamic Slaughtering and
Meat Quality
Dr. Javaid Aziz Awan
National Institute of Food Science and
Technology,
University of Agriculture, Faisalabad
4/13/2015
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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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ESSENTIALS OF ISLAMIC METHOD OF
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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ESSENTIALS OF ISLAMIC METHOD OF
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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ESSENTIALS OF ISLAMIC METHOD OF
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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ESSENTIALS OF ISLAMIC METHOD OF
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
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ESSENTIALS OF ISLAMIC METHOD OF
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-oAkbar)
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ESSENTIALS OF ISLAMIC METHOD OF
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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2. Rest prior to slaughtering
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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2. Rest prior to slaughtering
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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2. Rest prior to slaughtering
Modern methods require animal prior to
slaughtering not be subjected to:
Stress
Fatigue
Neurotic
Otherwise excited
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2. Rest prior to slaughtering
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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2. Rest prior to slaughtering
 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, tranquilizers
recommended 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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3. Feeding the animals
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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3. Feeding the animals
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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3. Feeding the animals
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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3. Feeding the animals
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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3. Feeding the animals
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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3. Feeding the animals
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
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
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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 1. Stunning
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 1. Stunning
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 1. Stunning
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 1. Stunning
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 1. Stunning
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE 1. Stunning
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
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 PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding techniques
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding techniques
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding techniques
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding techniques
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding techniques
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding techniques
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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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding techniques
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
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SLAUGHTERING PROCEDURE
3. Bleeding techniques
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
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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)
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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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Thank You
Open for
Discussion
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