Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-p2v8j Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-05-06T22:59:04.030Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Growth, carcass characteristics and meat quality of rabbits given maize ears or maize plant

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

M. Pla ,
M. Martínez  and
C. Cervera
M. Pla*
Affiliation:
Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Departamento de Ciencia animal, Camino de Vera s/n 46022 Valencia, Spain
M. Martínez
Affiliation:
Universidad Tecnológica del Chocó, Departamento Ingeniería Agroforestal, Barrio Medrano, Quibdó, Colombia
C. Cervera
Affiliation:
Universidad Politécnica de Valencia, Departamento de Ciencia animal, Camino de Vera s/n 46022 Valencia, Spain
*
†E-mail: mpla@dca.upv.es
Get access

Abstract

Three hundred young rabbits were divided into three groups at weaning and given ad libitum a control diet (C), or an experimental diet in which 0·20 of control diet was substituted by maize ear (E) or by whole maize plant (P) in order to examine their effects on fattening rabbits performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality. No significant differences were found in live-weight gain (45 g/day) or in food intake between diets but food conversion ratio was higher in the P group (2·4 g dry matter (DM) per g gain) than in E group (2·2 g DM per g gain). The rate of mortality was similar in the three groups. No differences between groups on live weight (2152 g) or in the digestive tract weight (437 g) were found and the dressing yield was similar in the three groups. At constant carcass weight, the carcasses of rabbits of the P group had lesser lumbar circumference and higher length to circumference ratio (P<0·0001) than of the C or E groups. No differences were found in the weights of liver or thoracic viscera, but kidneys of rabbits of P group were lighter than of the C or E groups. No differences between groups were found in the weights of scapular fat, perirenal fat, forelegs or thoracic cage, but the loin of rabbits of P group was heavier (291 v. 286 g) than in the other groups. Meat of rabbits P had higher L* and b* parameters of colour and higher water-holding capacity (P=0·003) but the meat of rabbits of the control group had less lipids (31 v. 36 g/kg meat) and more moisture (739 v. 735 g/kg meat) than of the experimental groups. The proportion of protein was higher in E group than in P group. Intra and intermuscular fat of hind leg meat from rabbits ‘maize’ substituted was more monounsaturated than control rabbits (34·2 v. 32·5 g·100 g lipids) and had lesser saturated: monounsaturated ratio (1·2 v. 1·3) indicating a more desirable meat from a nutritional point of view, but had less n-3 fatty acid content. Loin meat of the rabbits given E and P diets seems more tender than one fed conventionally (10·4 v. 11·4 kg) and meat of the rabbits ‘whole maize plant’ had more grass flavour (P=0·009) which is a positive factor for acceptability of consumers.

Keywords

carcass compositiongrowthmaizemeat qualityrabbits
Type
Research Article
Information
Animal Science , Volume 82 , Issue 5 , October 2006 , pp. 731 - 737
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Science 2006

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Auxilia, M. T., Masoero, G. and Terramoccia, S. 1979. Impiego di mais disidratato integrale nelle diete per conigli in accrescimento. Annalli dell'Istituti Sperimentale per la Zootecnia 12: 43–50.Google Scholar
Bacvanski, S. 1976. Maize grain or ears in concentrate diets for young fattening bulls. Animal Feed Science and Technology 1: 393–400.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Baselga, M. 2002. Rabbit genetic resources in Mediterranean countries: Line A, Line V, Line H and Line R. Options Mediterranéennes 38: 221–262.Google Scholar
Bergonzoni, E. and Fabbri, R. 1975. Diete a base di farina di pianta intera di mais a maturazione cerosa nell'allevamento dei suini. Annalli dell'Istituti Sperimentale per la Zootecnia 8: 101–115.Google Scholar
Blas, E., Cervera, C., Fernández-Carmona, J. 1994. Effect of two diets with varied starch and fibre levels on the performances of 4–7 weeks old rabbits. World Rabbit Science 2: 117–121.Google Scholar
Blasco, A. and Ouhayoun, J. 1996. Harmonization of criteria and terminology in rabbit meat research: revised proposal. World Rabbit Science 4: 93–99.Google Scholar
Bourne, M. C. 1978. Texture profile analysis. Food Technology 32: 62–66.Google Scholar
Brady, P. L. and Hunecke, M. E. 1985. Correlations of sensory and instrumental evaluations of roast beef texture. Journal of Food Science 50: 300–303.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Combes, S., Lepetit, J. and Darche, B. 2003. Effect of cooking temperature and cooking time on Warner-Bratzler tenderness measurements and collagen content in rabbit meat. Meat Science 66: 91–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dalle Zotte, A. 2002. Perception of rabbit meat quality and major factors influencing the rabbit carcass and meat quality. Livestock Production Science 75: 11–32.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Department of Health and Social Security, UK. 1994. Nutritional aspects of cardiovascular disease. Report on health and social subjects no. 46. Her Majesty's Stationery Office, London.Google Scholar
Embrapa. 1991. Tabela de composicao química e valores energéticos de alimentos para suinos e aves, third edition. Centro Nacional de Pesquisa de Suinos e aves.Google Scholar
Food and Agriculture Organization. 2004. Zea mays. Animal feed resources information system, no. 549. //http:www.fao.org/ag/aga/agap/frg/afris/data/549.htmGoogle Scholar
Fitzgerald, J. J. and Murphy, J. J. 1999. A comparison of low starch maize silage and grass silage and the effect of concentrate supplementation of the forages or inclusion of maize grain with the maize silage on milk production by dairy cows. Livestock Production Science 57: 95–111.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hamm, R. 1986. Functional properties of the myofibrillar system and their measurement. In Muscle as food(ed. Betchel, P. J.), pp. 135–199. Academic Press Inc., Orlando, FL.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Honikel, K. O. 1998. Reference methods for the assessment of physical characteristics of meat. Meat Science 49: 447–457.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Martínez, M., Biglia, S., Moya, V. J., Blas, E. and Cervera, C. 2006. Nutritive value of whole maize plant (Zea mays) and effect on performance and carcass characteristics of rabbits. World Rabbit Science 14:(In press).Google Scholar
Masoero, G., Terramoccia, S. and Auxilia, M. T. 1979. Digeribilità per conigli all'ingrasso di diete contenenti farine di pianta intera disidratata di mais. Annalli dell'Istituti Sperimentale per la Zootecnia 12: 145–153.Google Scholar
Methu, J. N., Owen, E., Abate, A. L. and Tanner, J. C. 2001. Botanical and nutritional composition of maize stover, intakes and feed selection by dairy cattle. Livestock Production Science 71: 87–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Møller, A. 1980. Analysis of Warner-Bratzler shear force pattern with regard to myofibrilar and connective tissue components of tenderness. Meat Science 5: 247–260.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Oliver, M. A., Guerrero, L., Díaz, I., Gispert, M., Pla, M. and Blasco, A. 1997. The effect of fat-enriched diets on the perirenal fat quality and sensory characteristics of meat from rabbits. Meat Science 47: 95–103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pla, M. and Apolinar, R. 2000. The filter paper press as method for measuring water holding capacity of rabbit meat. World Rabbit Science 8: 659–662.Google Scholar
Pla, M., Hernández, P. and Blasco, A. 1995. The colour of rabbit carcasses and meat. Meat Focus International 4: 181–183.Google Scholar
Pla, M., Hernández, P., Ariño, B., Ramírez, J. A. and Díaz, I. 2007. Prediction of fatty acid content in rabbit meat and discrimination between conventional and organic production systems by NIRS methodology. Food Chemistry 100: 167–170.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pla, M., Pascual, M. and Ariño, B. 2004. Protein, fat and moisture content of retail cuts of rabbit meat evaluated with the NIRS methodology. World Rabbit Science 12: 149–158.Google Scholar
Ramírez, J. A., Oliver, M. A., Pla, M., Guerrero, L., Ariño, B.Blasco, A., Pascual, M. and Gil, M. 2004. Effect of selection for growth rate on biochemical, quality and texture characteristics of meat from rabbits. Meat Science 67: 617–624.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rosell, J. M., Cuervo, L., Argüello, J. L.Badiola, J. I. and Blas, E. 2000. Enteropatía mucoide. In Enfermedades del conejo (ed. Rosell, J. M.), pp. 248–263. Mundi Prensa, Madrid Spain.Google Scholar
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute. 2000. SAS/STAT user's guide, release 8·1. SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC.Google Scholar
Steel, R. G. and Torrie, J. H. 1980. Principles and procedures of statistics. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York.Google Scholar
Stone, H., Sidel, J., Oliver, S., Woolsey, A. and Singleton, R. C. 1974. Sensory evaluation by quantitative descriptive analysis. Food Technology 28: 24–34.Google Scholar
Villamide, M. J., Maertens, L., Cervera, C., Perez, J. M. and Xiccato, G. 2001. A critical approach of the calculation procedures to be use in digestibility determination of feed ingredients for rabbits. World Rabbit Science 9: 19–25.Google Scholar