ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Aquac.
Sec. Society, Value Chains, Governance and Development
Effects of various alternative stunning techniques on welfare indicators and meat quality of Nile tilapia
Arnan Hirunratanakorn 1
Jidapa Yamkasem 2
Natthakul Youngnoi 2
Piyathip Setthawong 2
WIN SURACHETPONG 3
Tuchakorn Lertwanakarn 2
1. Somsak farm, Chachoengsao, Thailand
2. Department of Physiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand
3. University of Stirling Institute of Aquaculture, Stirling, United Kingdom
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Abstract
Humane slaughter practices are critical for improving fish welfare and ensuring product quality in aquaculture. This study evaluated the effects of six stunning methods: priest, bolt pistol, ikijime, live freezing, anesthetic overdose, and asphyxiation, on behavioral and physiological welfare indicators and fillet quality in tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). A total of 54 fish (9 per group) were randomly assigned to each treatment. Welfare was assessed through behavioral response (BR) and morphological damage (MD). Postmortem biochemical parameters (muscle pH, lactate, ATP), rigor mortis index, and fillet quality (texture, color, proximate composition, water drip loss) were measured after slaughter. Anesthetic overdose and bolt pistol stunning produced the most favorable outcomes. Both methods resulted in rapid loss of consciousness (BR=0) with minimal MD scores and lower lactate levels (3.0 ± 0.5 mmol/L) than other techniques. In contrast, asphyxiation demonstrated the worst welfare (BR=1), with elevated stress biomarkers, and inferior fillet quality, texture, and storage time. While live freezing and priest stunning revealed good welfare indicators, there were no benefits in terms of stress indicators and fillet quality indices. Finally, ikijime technique showed variable effectiveness depending on operator proficiency. Overall, these results support the adoption of anesthetic overdose or bolt pistol stunning as humane and effective methods that enhance fish welfare. Piloting of such practices with stakeholders is recommended to meet ethical standards and improve product value in commercial tilapia production.
Summary
Keywords
Aquaculture, Fillet quality, Stunning techniques, Tilapia, Welfare indicators
Received
02 January 2026
Accepted
09 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Hirunratanakorn, Yamkasem, Youngnoi, Setthawong, SURACHETPONG and Lertwanakarn. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: WIN SURACHETPONG; Tuchakorn Lertwanakarn
Disclaimer
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