Evaluation of the Effects of Pre-Slaughter High-Frequency Electrical Stunning Current Intensities on Lipid Oxidative Stability and Antioxidant Capacity in the Liver of Yangzhou Goose (Anser cygnoides domesticus)

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Livers from meat geese are popular in China for different kinds of dishes. High-frequency electrical stunning (ES) was suggested to improve chicken meat quality in previous studies. Limited research has been performed on the effect of ES on liver quality of the meat goose. This study was performed to evaluate the effects of different current intensities on lipid oxidative stability and antioxidant capacity in the liver of Yangzhou goose (a typical meat goose) based on a typical high-frequency level (500 Hz). Stunning each goose with the current intensity at 60 V/40 mA improved lipid oxidative stability and antioxidant capacity from day 0 to day 4 and the lightness at day 0 in the liver of meat geese during cold storage. A combination of 60 V/40 mA/ 500 Hz/ 10 s per bird could be applied in the ES of Yangzhou geese in order to improve the lipid oxidative stability and antioxidant capacity in the livers. ABSTRACT: Limited research has been performed to evaluate the effects of high-frequency electrical stunning (ES) methods on the lipid oxidative stability of the meat goose livers. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of high-frequency-ES current intensities on lipid oxidative stability and antioxidant capacity in the liver of Yangzhou goose (Anser cygnoides domesticus). Forty 92-day-old male Yangzhou geese were randomly divided into five treatments (n = 8). Geese were not stunned (control) or exposed to ES for 10 s with alternating current (AC) at 500 Hz in a water bath. Current intensities were set at 30 V/20 mA (E30V), 60 V/40 mA (E60V), 90 V/70 mA (E90V), or 120 V/100 mA (E120V), respectively. The malondialdehyde level at day 0 was the highest in 120 V (p < 0.05). Antioxidant enzymes’ activity on day 2 was the highest in E60V. The 1, 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl free radical (DPPH·) elimination ability was lower in the E120V than that in the E60V at two days and four days postmortem (p < 0.05). A combination of 60 V/40 mA/ 500 Hz/ 10 s per bird could be applied in the ES of Yangzhou geese to improve the lipid oxidative stability and antioxidant capacity in the livers.