Effect of breed and sex on rabbit carcass yield and meat quality

Abstract

The objective of this work was to determine the differences on yield and quality of carcasses of different sex (male and female) and breed (New Zealand (NZ), Californian (CA), Chinchilla (CH) and Rex (RX)). Ten rabbits (balanced sexes) of each breed were used. Rabbits were grown under the same conditions, fed the same commercial diet and slaughtered when reached Mexican commercial weight (2.00 kg). Carcass yield, percentage of the main tissues, chemical composition of meat, shear force of cooked longissimus dorsi muscle and sensorial characteristics were evaluated. Main effects (breed and sex) and interactions were statistically analyzed. Breeds were similar on dressing percentages. However, meat from I JZ carcasses had the higher dripping losses (5.44%); NZ male had heavier skin compared to their female counterparts. Carcass composition was very similar among breeds. Mate had a higher percentage (P<0.05) of bone compared to female (17.69 and 16.18, respectively). CH female had higher ínter-muscular fat than NZ female (3.99 % vs 2.08%). Meat composition was also very similar among breeds with the exception of dry matter percentage. CA females had more intra-muscular lipds than CA mate. Shear force was similar among breeds and sexes. No differences were found for aroma, flavor and general satisfaction. However, RX meat was the most tender (P<0.05) compared to lhe CA mea! (5.38 and 4.85, respectively), when sensorily evaluated. In conclusion, regardless of the production purposes of the breed (meat or fur), carcass yield and meat quality are very similar for rabbils slaughtered at 2.00 kg.