Effect of the feeding supplementation with chestnut hydrolysabletannin on the colour and oxidative stability of rabbit meat.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of feeding growing rabbits with pelleted diets medicated-free, or medicated with coccidiostat, or with 3 different chestnut hydrolysable tannin levels, on the oxidative stability of the rabbit meat. From the age of 18 days the rabbits were fed pellets supplemented with coccidiostat (Cc), or with tannin (400g/100 kg: T400). At weaning (35 d of age) within both groups 5 sub-groups were formed: medicated-free (Co), and supplemented pellet containing coccidiost (Cc), or different levels of chestnut tannin (T200, T400 and T600). Rabbits were slaughtered at 11 weeks of age and Biceps femoris muscle was analysed for meat colour, hindleg meat for haem iron concentration, whereas Longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle was dissected and used for fatty acid (FA) profile, TBARS value and conjugated dienes determination. The tannin-supplemented diet T400 fed before weaning seemed to be more effective than the 3 tannin levels administered during fattening period on FA profile change in the LD muscle. T400 diet fed before weaning increased SFA and MUFA (P<0.01) and decreased PUFA (P<0.05), decreasing the n-6/n-3 ratio (P<0.01), however. During fattening, only T600 diet showed significant difference (P<0.05) compared to Cc diet on FA profile, leading to higher SFA and MUFA contents. Meat colour, TBARS value and conjugated dienes were not affected by the tannin supplementation and it can be concluded that dietary chestnut hydrolysable tannins didn’t improve the colour and oxidative stability of the rabhit meat.