Naturopathy and Natural Therapies World Conference 2026

Abstract

Growing consumer expectations regarding nutritional composition, quality, and food safety have increased global consumption of farmed meat. However, environmental stressors, including heat stress and transportation, as well as animal handling, alter their homeostasis and meat quality parameters, including pH, water-holding capacity, and storage stability. In addition, post-mortem procedures such as refrigeration and cooking have a major impact on meat quality preservation. This literature review analyzes the impact of stress induced by different factors and handling before slaughter on homeostasis and meat composition, and the anti-stress and antioxidant effects of nigella seed oil (NO) in dromedaries and rabbits, using the results provided by our recent work carried out in these thematics. The results reported in this review highlight that these two animal species are subjected to more stressful situations, which begin at the farm and then at the market, and continue with loading, transportation, stocking density during transportation, unloading, waiting, deprivation of food and water, and slaughter. These conditions altered significantly homeostatsis and meat quality, and the stress and oxidant stress were significantly reduced by NO in these species. Indeed, NO reduced serum cortisol, glucose and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and increases the antioxidants enzymes activities. In the meat, NO reduced MDA, thiols, ultimate pH, water losses during storage and cooking, and increases antioxidants enzymes and the sensory score. Legislation on welfare at all stages of the pre-slaughter process, and the use of nigella seeds as a dietary supplement for a few weeks before slaughter are recommended in camel and rabbit.

Key words:

Stress indicators, blood, meat, oxidant stress, nigella oil, Morocco