Physical characteristics and chemical composition of local rabbit meat and Hycole-local crosses fed different levels of feeding

Abstract

The demand for rabbit meat as an alternative source of animal protein is increasing along with population growth and public nutritional awareness. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of feeding levels on the physical and chemical quality of local rabbit meat and the results of the Hycole × Local cross. A total of 36 male rabbits (18 local and 18 cross) were used in a randomized block design with three feed levels (6%, 7.5%, and 9%) and six replications. The parameters observed included hot and cold carcass pH, moisture content, ash, meat color, cooking loss, water holding capacity, protein content, fat content, and tenderness. The results showed that most of the physical characteristics and chemical composition parameters were not significantly different (P>0.05) between local rabbits and the Hycole × Local cross, and between feed levels, except for cooking loss and tenderness (P<0.05). The cooking loss values of meat in this study were found to be 17.10 ± 5.23 and 13.75 ± 4.02%; while the tenderness value was 1.48 ± 0.79 and 2.30 ± 1.42 kg/cm2, respectively, for local rabbits and Hycole x local crosses. The cooking loss and tenderness values of rabbit meat fed 9% of body weight were higher than those fed 6 and 7% of body weight, namely 18.66 ± 3.93% and 2.52 ± 1.13 kg/cm2, compared to 15.42 ± 1.06% and 1.89 ± 0.41 kg/cm2. Based on these findings, it can be concluded that increasing the amount of feed to up to 9% of body weight can be done for both local rabbits and Hycole x local crosses, as long as it improves productivity.