Abattoir Practices and Animal Products Technology

COURSE OVERVIEW

Definition

• Slaughter of food animals is done either in public slaughterhouses called Abattoirs, usually the property of local government authorities or in private slaughterhouses owned by individual or retail butchers. The latter must be registered and should hold a license.
• Basically the term by-products and offals are used to denote the parts, which is not included in the dressed carcasses. So, by-products may be defined as, “everything from the abattoir or butcher’s shop that is not sold directly as food”.  Some of the by-products include organs, such as kidney, brain, liver, heart, lungs and intestinal tract, stomach, blood, bones, hooves, horns, hair and bristles, hide and skin, etc

Objectives

• Given the resource materials, the under graduate students will be able to have a clear and better understanding of the practices need to be carried out in an abattoir to produce hygienic and wholesome meat for human consumption.
• They will also understand how to operate and maintain the abattoir and specific roles played by the veterinarian in wholesome meat production.
• The course material will also help the students for better understanding of utilisation of slaughterhouse by-products, better economic return and reduce the environmental pollution. This would also make the meat industry more sustainable as an important component of livestock economics

Structure of the course

• This course is structured as a 1+1 credit course.
• The study material has been designed and constructed in such a way so that it covers all the aspects of abattoir construction, operation, sanitation, maintenance and management.
• Further, the processing and utilisation of animal by-products for better economic returns are also included for a comprehensive and effective study.
• Emphasis is also given on proper disposal of the abattoir wastes and other condemned articles that are obtained from the abattoir by including effluent treatment.
• Thus, a student will have a composite knowledge not only wholesome meat production, abattoir practices and utilisation of by products but also on being eco-friendly and take care of the environment pollution.
• Under abattoir practices the techniques of different methods of slaughter and dressing of food animals and birds are also incorporated.
• Basic information on food animals and meat hygiene are also added to contents of the course.
• Hence, the present study material is divided into various chapters with suitable sub-headings and arranged in sequence for easy reading and understanding of the subject by the student/user.