Camel homeostasis and meat quality affected by stress before slaughter- A literature review.

The welfare of dromedaries before and at slaughter influences their homeostasis and the organoleptic characteristics, quality, and commercial shelf life of their meat. Transportation, stocking density, travel time, waiting time at the slaughterhouse, water and food deprivation, and the slaughter procedure are the most important stressors for this species. In dromedaries, these events trigger behavioral, physiological, hematological, biochemical, hormonal, and muscular responses that could be assessed using reliable and specific biomarkers, namely, heart rate, respiratory rate, rectal temperature, hemolysis, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, enzymes, glycolytic potential, malondialdehyde, thiols, carbonyls, catecholamines, cortisol, and thyroid hormones. The dromedary, a large and difficult to handle animal, is faced with a lack of adopted transport vehicles, equipment, resources and training of breeders, drivers, and technicians on animal welfare, and with the slaughter procedure, which favors even more stressful situations. This literature review analyzes the impact of stress induced by the different stages of handling before slaughter on homeostasis and meat composition in dromedaries, using the results provided by recent work carried out on this theme. The dromedary is subjected to more stressful handling compared to ruminant species, which begins at the farm and then at the market, and continues with loading, transportation, distance traveled, stocking density during transportation, unloading, receiving, waiting time in slaughterhouses, deprivation of food and water, and the method of slaughter. These conditions do not meet international animal welfare standards resulting in significant alterations of homeostasis and meat quality of this species. Legislation on the welfare of dromedaries at all stages of the pre-slaughter process must be developed.