Effects of chestnut tannins on carcass characteristics, meat quality, lipid oxidation and fatty acid composition of rabbits

Seventy two male Bianca Italiana rabbits were used to study the effects of the inclusion (0%, 0.5%, and 1.0%) of a natural extract of chestnut wood (Silvafeed ENC) in the diet on productive traits, carcass characteristics, meat quality, lipid oxidation and fatty acid composition of rabbit meat. Results showed ENC had no significant effect on live weight, productive traits, hot carcass weight, dressing percentage, skin weight, pH, cooking losses, shear force and colour. The iron content was higher in Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscle of rabbit fed the ENC 1.0% diet than the control group. TBARS average values in the group ENC 0.5% were significantly lower (P < 0.05) than in the control and ENC 1.0% groups. Myristic acid (C14:0; P < 0.01), palmitoleic acid (C16:1 cis-9; P < 0.05) and pentadecanoic acid (C15:0; P < 0.01) contents were lower in LTL muscle of rabbits fed the ENC 1.0% diet, whereas the palmitic acid (C16:0) content was higher (P < 0.05) in the rabbits of this group. Moreover, the rabbits fed with the ENC 0.5% diet had lower (P < 0.01) levels of trans-vaccenic acid (C18:1 trans-11) compared to rabbits fed with the control diet. No significant differences were observed in saturated (SFA), monounsaturated (MUFA), polyunsaturated (PUFA) fatty acids, as well as in PUFA/SFA and n-6/n-3 ratios among the groups.