This electronic thesis or dissertation has been downloaded from Explore Bristol Research, http://research-information.bristol.ac.uk Author: Fuseini, Awal Title: The development and practical implementation of Single Pulse Ultra-High Current for humane and Halal compliant slaughter of cattle General rights Access to the thesis is subject to the Creative Commons Attribution - NonCommercial-No Derivatives 4.0 International Public License. A copy of this may be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode This license sets out your rights and the restrictions that apply to your access to the thesis so it is important you read this before proceeding. Take down policy Some pages of this thesis may have been removed for copyright restrictions prior to having it been deposited in Explore Bristol Research. However, if you have discovered material within the thesis that you consider to be unlawful e.g. breaches of copyright (either yours or that of a third party) or any other law, including but not limited to those relating to patent, trademark, confidentiality, data protection, obscenity, defamation, libel, then please contact [email protected] and include the following information in your message: •Your contact details •Bibliographic details for the item, including a URL •An outline nature of the complaint Your claim will be investigated and, where appropriate, the item in question will be removed from public view as soon as possible. The development and practical implementation of Single Pulse Ultra-High Current (SPUC) stunning for a humane and Halal compliant system of stunning cattle. A dissertation submitted to the University of Bristol in accordance with the requirements for award of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the Faculty of Health Sciences of the School of Veterinary Sciences. by Awal Fuseini Word Count 65,314 i Abstract This thesis reports the development of a new system of head-only electrical stunning system, Single Pulse Ultra-High Current (SPUC) for the humane slaughter of cattle. Optimum electrical parameters for the development and construction of the SPUC Stunner were identified through a number of in vitro experiments. First, the electric fields in the head and brain were measured by applying voltage from a 250 V, 50 Hz power source with an isolated (from earth) output through two large needle electrodes, via the nose and neck. The electric field in the head was found to be 3.3 Vcm -1 and 1.3 Vcm -1 in the brain. Secondly, neural membranes were electroporated using a Gene Pulser Xcell electroporation system (Bio-Rad, USA) to determine the effect of energy on the electroporation of brain cells. The results showed that energy was the main factor influencing electroporation of neural membranes. To date a prototype SPUC stunner has been produced. Using dummy loads, the stunner has been demonstrated to produce the target range of voltage and current. It is undergoing further design and development to better avoid arcing and to provide additional protection for the high voltage switch. The work for this PhD also included an investigation into the knowledge, views and acceptability of stunning at the time of Halal slaughter across a range of stakeholders as an important precursor for the design and introduction of the SPUC device into full commercial use. A survey of 314 Halal consumers and 66 Islamic scholars in the UK showed that 95% of Islamic scholars and 53% of Halal consumers would accept meat from stunned animals if the method of stunning did not cause the death of animals prior to exsanguination. In a separate study to evaluate veterinary students’ perception about Halal slaughter, the majority (95.2%) of the 459 respondents indicated that they would want all animals to be stunned prior to slaughter, including Halal slaughter. ii dedicated to Hamna, Saha, Suglo, Simli and Hajia Fatima iii Acknowledgements I will like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to my supervisor, Professor Toby Knowles for his support and guidance from the conception of this project through to its completion. Special mention also goes to Mr. Steve Wotton who was one of my supervisors until his retirement in 2017, I wish Steve a happy retirement. My thanks also go to Dr. Jefferey Lines of Silsoe Livestock Systems, Jeff was instrumental during the development of the electronics for the SPUC stunner and played a significant role in the design of the in vitro experiments involving cattle heads and brain cells. I also thank Dr. Jo Murrell and Mr. Andy Grist, who both briefly supervised my work after Steve’s retirement. I will also like to thank Mr. Steve Brown and Mr. Stefaan Lescouhier for their assistance during the field experiments. Special thanks also go to Dr. Tristan Cogan for granting me permission to use his laboratory and for his guidance in conducting the in vitro experiment on ion migration from neural membranes (described in chapter 4). I am also grateful to the Imaging and Cytometry Laboratory of the University of York for granting me permission to conduct one of the electroporation experiments in their laboratory (described chapter 5). Funding for the project was generously provided by the Humane Slaughter Association (HSA), the UK’s Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and Euro Meat Group in Belgium, I am grateful for their support. Finally, I am indebted to my mother, Hajia Fatima who single-handedly funded my education up to my bachelor’s degree. To my late father, your efforts have not been in vain, rest in perfect peace dad. iv Author’s declaration I declare that the work in this dissertation was carried out in accordance with the requirements of the University's Regulations and Code of Practice for Research Degree Programmes and that it has not been submitted for any other academic award. Except where indicated by specific reference in the text, the work is my own work. Work done in collaboration with, or with the assistance of, others, is indicated as such. Any views expressed in the dissertation are my own views and not the views of the University of Bristol. Awal Fuseini DATE: June 2019 v Authored papers As part of this PhD project, I have published eleven peer-reviewed papers in various scientific journals. However only three of the papers have been fully included as chapters in this thesis to fit into a narrative. In the three papers included as chapters, I can confirm that I was the lead author and wrote the manuscripts as well as analysed the data (where applicable). The following are the published papers included as chapters in the thesis. Appendix A contains copies of all published papers that are not included as full chapters in the thesis. 1. Chapter 1 (from section 1.8): The brain, unconsciousness and death: a critical appraisal with regard to Halal meat production. Note: I was the sole author of this paper which was published in 2019 in Animal Welfare Journal (Animal Welfare, 28, 165-171). I conceived the idea, gathered the relevant scientific information, wrote the paper and submitted it to the journal for review. 2. Chapter 2: The perception and acceptability of pre-slaughter and post-slaughter stunning for Halal production: The views of UK Islamic scholars and Halal consumers. Note: I was the lead author of this paper which was published in 2017 in Meat Science Journal (Meat Science, 123, 143-150). I conceived the idea, collected the data, analysed the data, wrote the paper and submitted it to the journal for review. There were three other authors of the paper, two of whom were my supervisors who provided guidance on data analysis and reviewed the draft publication. 3. Chapter 3: Veterinary students’ perception and understanding of issues surrounding the slaughter of animals according to the rules of Halal: a survey of students from four English universities. vi Note: I was the lead author of this paper which was published in the Journal of Animals (Animals, 9, 293). I conceived the idea, collected the data, analysed the data, wrote the paper and submitted it to the journal for review. There were two co-authors of this paper, both of whom were my supervisors. They both provided guidance on data collection, analysis and reviewed the manuscript before it was submitted to the journal for review. The remainder of the papers are listed below. I am the primary author on all of these papers, the main body of text within all these papers was primarily written by myself: 1. Fuseini, A., Knowles, T.G., Lines, J.A., Hadley, P.J., and Wotton, S.B. (2016). The stunning and slaughter of cattle within the EU: a review of the current situation with regard to the halal market. Animal Welfare, 25, 365-376. Please note that this paper is a summary of the introductory chapter of this thesis (chapter 1). At the start of the PhD project, a 25,000 worded literature review was conducted, this was subsequently summarised and published in Animal Welfare Journal. 2. Fuseini, A., Knowles, T.G., Hadley, P.J., Wotton, S.B. (2016). Halal stunning and slaughter: Criteria for the assessment of dead animals. Meat Science, 119, 132-137. 3. Fuseini, A., Wotton, S.B., Hadley, P.J., and Knowles, T.G. (2017). The compatibility of modern slaughter techniques with halal slaughter: a review of the aspects of ‘modern’ slaughter methods that divide scholarly opinion within the Muslim community. Animal Welfare, 26, 301-310. 4. Fuseini, A., Knowles, T.G., Hadley, P.J., Wotton, S.B. (2017). Food and companion animal welfare: the Islamic perspective. CAB Review, 12, 1-6. vii 5. Fuseini, A., Wotton, S.B., Knowles, T.G., and Hadley, P.J.