Dr V K Modi, head of department of meat technology at the Central Food Technology Research Institute in Mysore, says the halal method is effective in draining out most of the blood from a slaughtered animal, which is vital if its meat is to be soft. “In jhatka, chances of blood clotting are higher. This could spoil the meat if it’s kept uncooked for a few days. It could also make the meat tougher to chew.”
Halal has been the traditional method of killing animals for meat. It’s only in the early 20th century that Sikhs of Punjab propagated jhatka as a ‘less painful way’ of killing the animal, although it would appear that the alternative way of slaughter was propagated more to differentiate it from the ‘Muslim way’ of killing the animal.
Halal involves a swipe with a sharp blade across the animal’s neck, severing the windpipe, jugular vein and carotid artery. Contrary to popular belief, Dr Modi, who trains butchers in the art of slaughtering at the institute’s abattoir, says evidence suggests that animals slaughtered through jhatka suffer more trauma than those killed by halal. “The less an animal struggles, the better the meat. When animals face trauma, the glycogen content in their muscles is activated, leaving the meat tough. Stored glycogen is the agent that leads to rigor mortis (or, stiffening of muscles on death),” Dr Modi says.
For the meat to be tender and juicy, the pH count in the animal should ideally be around 5.4 after slaughter. “Struggle leads to the utilisation of stored energy, making the pH count rise to as high as 7,” In halal¸ the struggle is lesser by at least 20 per cent, claims a Delhi based nutrition expert.
Dr Modi has support from Dr Karuna Chaturvedi, consultant nutritionist at Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi. “Halal is considered healthier because after slaughter, blood is drained from the animal’s arteries, ejecting most toxins because the heart continues to pump for a few seconds after slaughter. In jhatka, not all the blood is drained, leaving the meat tougher and drier.”
“By cutting the windpipe and the carotid artery, the flow of blood to the nerve in the brain that causes the sensation of pain, is stopped,”
That's why every household the mom says to buy meat from Muslim shops coz she know which is tender and tasty when cooked and off course healthy for her children.
Source: received through WhatsApp message