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Effect of Temperature Acclimation on Porcine Physiological Responses to Heat Stress and Associated Properties of Muscle

Purdue University², Lafayette, Indiana

Abstract

Studies were conducted to determine physiological responses during heat-stress and postmortem muscle properties of pigs which had been acclimated to 29 or 18° C. and those subjected to fluctuating temperatures (29-18° C. alternating). Elevation of body temperature and respiratory rate during a 4-hr, period of heat-stress (37-40° C.) was pronounced in the pigs previously acclimated to 18° C. However, after recovery from the heat-stress and after subsequent exsanguination, these heat-stress-susceptible animals exhibited postmortem muscle properties that were similar to those of the other groups of pigs. Correlation analyses revealed that physiological responses during heat-stress were highly correlated with postmortem muscle properties in temperature-acclimated pigs and poorly correlated in those subjected to fluctuating temperatures. The data indicated that prediction of postmortem muscle properties of animals previously acclimated to a constant-temperature environment would be possible by measuring their body temperature and respiratory rate prior to and during a short period of heat-stress.

¹ Present address: Department of Food Science and Industries, University of Minnesota, St. Paul.

² Contributions from Department of Animal Sciences, Purdue Agricultural Experiment Station, Journal Paper No. 2823. Supported in part by NSF Research Grant No. g6243. The authors are indebted to Prof. W. E. Fontaine for the use of facilities at the Purdue Center for Refrigeration Research and Climate Control.