IMPACT OF CANOLA MEAL ON GROWING RABBITS PERFORMANCE AND MEAT QUALITY

Abstract

An experiment was conducted with 45 male growing New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits, four weeks old with an average initial body weight 479.6 g were used in the present study, to assess their growth performance and meat quality when fed a graded level of canola meal in ration . The experimental diets had inclusion levels of 0%, 5% and 10% canola meal in groups I (control), II and III respectively, fifteen rabbits per group for eight weeks feeding trial. In the end of, growth was assessed by measuring body weight gain (BWG). At 12 weeks of age five animals from each group were slaughtered for carcass evaluation and meat quality . Results showed that the effect of treatments on body weight gain was insignificant. Average daily gains during the study were 27.42 , 28.17 and 28.78 gm for control group and animals fed diets contain 5% and 10% canola meal, respectively. The canola meal at the levels of 5 and 10% of diet reduced both plasma triglycerides and cholesterol value as compared with control group. The differences between groups were significant in high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). Both levels of canola meal in the ration had insignificant effect in dressing percentage as compared with control diet . The total unsaturated fatty acid percentage of meat increased linearly as the dietary level of canola meal increase in the same time significantly (P<0.05 ) increased total phenol and vitamin E in meat ; but insignificant in RBCs, WBCs, Hb and HCT.However the thiobarbituric acid (TBA) levels in meat was significantly (P<0.05) lowered by supplemented with canola meal in rabbit diet.