Published in Scientific Works. Series C. Veterinary Medicine, Vol. LX (1)
Written by Rosalie BĂLĂCEANU DOJANĂ, C. SAVU
The experiment was conducted on three groups (a control group and two experimental groups, A and B) of domestic rabbits, 11 weeks old, raised in household system. The rabbits were fed for 20 days with feed enriched in vegetable protein by addition of soya bean. Diets of experimental groups presented an energetic / protein ratio of 2,593 kcal / 15.2 g in group A and 2,586 l/17.0 in group B. The diet of control group presented an energetic/protein ratio of 2,548 kcal/12.3 g. After depletion of the experimental feeding period, the animals were slaughtered. To characterize the quality of carcass, there were determined as follows: dressing percentage, dissected fat and meat / bone ratio. Dressing percentage of the control group amounted to a value of 55.5% while in the experimental group dressing percentage amounted to 60.4% and, 62.0%, respectively, showing a stimulatory effect of protein supplementation on muscle growth. Dissectible fat values amounted to 3.71% in the control while in the experimental groups dissectible fat showed lower values: 3.31% and, respectively, 3.00%. This decrease is due to the increasing proportion of muscle and not by lowering the amount of fat. Meat / bone ratio in the control group amounted to 5.54, while in the experimental groups it had values amounting to 6.08 and 5.96, respectively. The experimental groups showed an increase in the ratio of meat / bone compared with controls. This was based on the increase in mass of skeletal muscle tissue, since bone weight remained relatively constant.
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carcass quality
