The effect of sorghum hydrolysed by Trametes maxima CU1 and Pycnoporus sanguineus CS2 was evaluated on growth performance traits and rabbit meat quality. A total of 24 unsexed New Zealand rabbits, weaned at 20 d of age, were allocated to 2 treatments: T1 (diet including 300 g/kg of non-hydrolysed sorghum) and T2 (diet including 300 g/kg of hydrolysed sorghum by Trametes maxima CU1 and Pycnoporus sanguineus CS2). Rabbits of group T2 did not have significantly different (P>0.05) feed intake compared to those in T1. Carcass traits were also not significantly different (P>0.05) between the 2 groups. The pH, water-holding capacity, colour and cooking loss of the longissimus lumborum were not different (P>0.05) between treatments, whereas the pH of the rabbits biceps femoris was higher in T2 (6.21; P<0.05) than in T1 (6.14). Meat hardness and gumminess in T2 were lower (P<0.05) in comparison to meat from T1. Thus, sorghum hydrolysed by Trametes maxima CU1 and Pycnoporus sanguineus CS2 contributed to a better rabbit meat texture.

Some of the goals of meat production systems are to improve feed efficiency, reduce costs, provide proper nutrition and avoid metabolic disorders. Hence, the aim of this work was to compare a rabbit diet based on untreated sorghum (T1) with a second one that included the cereal biotransformed by the co-cultivation of two basidiomycetes (T2). Their effects on the cereal, diets, and fecal structural fiber composition, as well as on rabbit intestinal morphology, were evaluated. A completely randomized design was applied, employing 24 New Zealand rabbits (21 days old). The fiber chemical composition results indicated that the sorghum treated with the co-culture had lower amounts of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), lignin, hemicellulose and cellulose, as did rabbits fed the T2 diet. Decreases in the NDF, ADF and cellulose contents were detected in T2-nourished rabbit excrements at day 21 (p ≤ 0.05), while lignin percentages diminished at days 35 and 49 (p ≤ 0.05). These rabbits also showed longer jejunal and cecal villi (p ≤ 0.05). The results obtained suggest a positive effect on the bioavailability of structural fibers after sorghum fungal co-fermentation, as their content decreased in rabbit fecal matter without damaging the intestinal morphology.