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The use of CO₂ or electrical stunning to render pigs unconscious and insensible before exsanguination is a common practice. Although both methods are widely implemented, they differ fundamentally in their underlying mechanisms, and studies have produced conflicting results regarding their influence on meat quality. In the case of CO₂ stunning, impaired pulmonary gas exchange causes a rapid onset of systemic hypoxia, accompanied by hypercapnia, which in turn lowers blood pH and triggers additional physiological stress responses. Electrical stunning, by contrast, induces a generalized epileptic seizure by depolarizing neuronal cell membranes, markedly increasing oxygen consumption in both the brain and peripheral muscles. Coupled with apnea-induced cessation of respiration, this leads to rapid systemic hypoxia and associated metabolic disturbances. With this study, we aim to generate comprehensive metabolic data as a foundation for deeper understanding of the animal's physiological responses depending on the stunning method used. We identified differences in metabolite pathways associated with the stunning method and evaluated potential influence on early post mortem processes relevant to meat quality development. After CO