Effect of Total Replacement of Soya Bean Meal by Whole Lupine Seeds and of Gender on the Meat Quality and Fatty Acids Profile of Growing Rabbits

Abstract

In Europe, the most appropriate strategy to replace soybean meal (SBM) in animal feed has been the development of diets containing locally produced protein sources. One of these sources is lupine (Lupinus spp.). The effect of the total substitution of SBM by white lupine (WL) and yellow lupine (YL) seeds in the diets of growing rabbits and of gender on meat quality and the fatty acids (FA) profile were evaluated. Sixty hybrid weaned rabbits (New Zealand × Californian) (20 rabbits per diet), were fed diets that contained 150 g/kg of SBM (SBMD) and WL (WLD) or YL (YLD) for 35 to 69 days. At the end of this period, 30 rabbits (10 rabbits per diet) were slaughtered to evaluate the carcass and meat characteristics and the FA profile of the longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle. In general, the carcass and meat characteristics (pH and colour) were not affected (p > 0.05) by diet or gender. Further, there was no observed effect (p > 0.05) of gender on meat FA and on the calculated indexes related to human health. However, diet had an effect (p < 0.05) on the FA profile, FA categories, and calculated indexes related to human health. The meat from rabbits fed SBMD presented higher (p < 0.05) saturated FA (SFA; 44 vs. 39 g/100 g average on lupine diets) and lower (p < 0.05) polyunsaturated FA (PUFA; 24 vs. 28 g/100 g average on lupine diets). Our results showed that SBM may be completely replaced by WL or YL, improving the quality of LD muscle FA in terms of nutritional quality for humans.

Effect of Gender and Muscle Type on Fatty Acid Profile, Sanogenic Indices, and Instrumental and Sensory Analysis of Flemish Giant Rabbit Meat

“…In SM muscles, the color parameters were very close (females vs. males): L* was 56.16 vs. 55.49; a* was 3.31 vs. 3.21, and b* was 2.81 vs. 2.75. Other authors measured average values of L* for rabbit meat from medium bread, similar to those observed in the present study [5,[10][11][12]. In another study on the conventionally and organically produced rabbit meat, L* varied from 57 to 60, a* index from 2.92 to 3.70, and smaller values were observed for the b* index (0.58 to −1.13) [9].…”

“…Rabbit meat can be a handy solution for solving food security problems (access to qualitative, healthy, and sufficient food). Rabbit meat meets the needs of consumers as a functional food [1] (rich in proteins balanced in essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), n-3 and n-6 fatty acids, easily bioavailable vitamins, and minerals) [1][2][3][4][5][6] for people who are increasingly concerned about health and nutrition. Rabbit meat provides multiple advantages for consumer health: absence of uric acid; small amounts of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and cholesterol [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]; high content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and PUFA, with a protective role against cardiovascular diseases; and low cholesterol values [15,16].…”

“…Rabbit meat provides multiple advantages for consumer health: absence of uric acid; small amounts of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and cholesterol [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]; high content of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and PUFA, with a protective role against cardiovascular diseases; and low cholesterol values [15,16]. Rabbit meat is highly appreciated for its excellent nutritional features, with lower fat, fewer saturated fats, and lower cholesterol levels compared to other commonly consumed meats [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]17]. Rabbit meat is lower in fat (9.2 g/100 g) and cholesterol (56.4 mg/100 g) compared to chicken, beef, and pork [7,17].…”