Effect of floor type on carcass and meat quality of pen raised growing rabbits

Alessandro Dal Bosco; Zsolt Szendrö; Zsolt Matics; Cesare Castellini; Silvia Ruggeri; Katalin Szendrö; Melania Martino; Simona Mattioli; Antonella Dalle Zotte; Zsolt Gerencsér

doi:10.4995/wrs.2015.3270

Authors

Alessandro Dal Bosco Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia
Zsolt Szendrö Kaposvár University, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Zsolt Matics Kaposvár University, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Cesare Castellini Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia
Silvia Ruggeri Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia
Katalin Szendrö Kaposvár University, Faculty of Economic Sciences
Melania Martino Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia
Simona Mattioli Department of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Sciences, University of Perugia
Antonella Dalle Zotte Department of Animal Medicine, Production and Health, University of Padova
Zsolt Gerencsér Kaposvár University, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2015.3270

Keywords:

floor type, growing rabbit, carcass traits, meat quality

Abstract

The aim of the experiment was to compare the carcass and meat quality traits of growing rabbits housed on different floor types. At the age of 35 d, rabbits (n=126) were randomly sorted into 3 groups and housed in pens with different floor types: plastic-mesh, deep-litter straw or wire-mesh. Slaughter weight, carcass and its parts’ weight, meat (Longissimus thoracis et lumborum [LL] muscle and hind leg) pH and colour, oxidative status and fatty acid profile were measured and correlations calculated. The deep-litter straw rabbits showed the lowest pHu and b* values of LL muscle and oxidation of the both muscles. The fatty acid profile of LL muscle of deep-litter straw rabbits showed a higher percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids and long chain n-3 polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids, whereas the content of 18:2n-6 and total PUFA was lower. We concluded that housing the growing rabbits on wire- or plastic-mesh floors showed no substantial differences, while housing rabbits on deep-litter negatively affected certain qualitative traits.

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