Growth Performance, Carcass Traits and Meat Quality in Rabbits Fed with Two Different Percentages of Extruded Linseed

Daboussi, Imen; Fehri, Nour Elhouda; Contò, Michela; Castrica, Marta; Bejaoui, Safa; Quattrone, Alda; Ferchichi, Mohamed Amine; Amraoui, Marouen; Tibaoui, Souha; Curone, Giulio; Vigo, Daniele; Menchetti, Laura; Dal Bosco, Alessandro; Andoni, Egon; Brecchia, Gabriele; Failla, Sebastiana; Jemmali, Bayrem

doi:10.3390/foods14101778

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Growth Performance, Carcass Traits and Meat Quality in Rabbits Fed with Two Different Percentages of Extruded Linseed

by

Imen Daboussi

^1,†,

Nour Elhouda Fehri

^2,†

,

Michela Contò

³

,

Marta Castrica

^4,*

,

Safa Bejaoui

⁵,

Alda Quattrone

²

,

Mohamed Amine Ferchichi

⁵,

Marouen Amraoui

⁵,

Souha Tibaoui

⁵,

Giulio Curone

²

,

Daniele Vigo

²

,

Laura Menchetti

⁶

,

Alessandro Dal Bosco

⁷,

Egon Andoni

⁸,

Gabriele Brecchia

²

,

Sebastiana Failla

^3,†

and

Bayrem Jemmali

^5,†

¹

Institut National Agronomique de Tunis, Université de Carthage, Tunisie, 43 Av. Charles Nicolle, Tunis 1082, Tunisia

²

Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, Italy

³

Consiglio per la Ricerca in Agricoltura e l’Analisi Dell’Economia Agraria (CREA), Research Centre for Animal Production and Aquaculture, Via Salaria 31, 00015 Rome, Italy

⁴

Comparative Biomedicine and Food Science, University of Padova, Agripolis, Viale dell’Univesità 16, 35020 Legnaro, Italy

⁵

Laboratory of Integrated Improvement and Development of Animal Productivity and Food Resources LR13AGR02, Mateur Higher School of Agriculture, University of Carthage, 7030 Mateur, Tunisia

⁶

School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Via Circonvallazione 93/95, 62024 Matelica, Italy

⁷

Department of Agricultural, Environmental and Food Science, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, 06124 Perugia, Italy

⁸

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Agricultural University of Tirana, Kodër Kamëz, 1029 Tirana, Albania

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Foods 2025, 14(10), 1778; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14101778

Submission received: 29 March 2025 / Revised: 7 May 2025 / Accepted: 15 May 2025 / Published: 16 May 2025

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Trends and Prospects in Novel Meat Products with Healthier Properties)

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Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of two levels of extruded linseed (EL) in the diet on growth performance, carcass yield, and meat quality of growing rabbits. Sixty-nine New Zealand White male rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were assigned after weaning to three dietary groups: control (C), 2.5% EL (L2.5%), and 5% EL (L5%). At the end of the fattening period (from 37 to 93 days of age), rabbits were slaughtered. EL supplementation significantly reduced average daily weight gain (ADG) in the L5% group (p < 0.05), while other performance parameters were not significantly affected. Meat from the L5% group exhibited a higher fat content (p < 0.001) and lower water-holding capacity (p < 0.05) compared to the others. The fatty acid profile showed a significant increase in n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and a decrease in n-6 PUFA (p < 0.05), resulting in a markedly reduced n-6/n-3 ratio (p < 0.001) in supplemented groups. EL supplementation also enhanced long-chain n-3 PUFA levels, particularly docosapentaenoic acid (DPA). Although lipid oxidation was slightly increased (p < 0.05), sensory attributes remained unaffected. These findings support EL supplementation as a nutritional strategy to increase the n-3 fatty acids in rabbit meat without compromising physical and sensory quality.

Keywords: New Zealand white rabbit; extruded linseed; growth performance; carcass traits; meat quality; fatty acid profile; lipid oxidation; n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids; sensory attributes

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MDPI and ACS Style

Daboussi, I.; Fehri, N.E.; Contò, M.; Castrica, M.; Bejaoui, S.; Quattrone, A.; Ferchichi, M.A.; Amraoui, M.; Tibaoui, S.; Curone, G.; et al. Growth Performance, Carcass Traits and Meat Quality in Rabbits Fed with Two Different Percentages of Extruded Linseed. Foods 2025, 14, 1778. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14101778

AMA Style

Daboussi I, Fehri NE, Contò M, Castrica M, Bejaoui S, Quattrone A, Ferchichi MA, Amraoui M, Tibaoui S, Curone G, et al. Growth Performance, Carcass Traits and Meat Quality in Rabbits Fed with Two Different Percentages of Extruded Linseed. Foods. 2025; 14(10):1778. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14101778

Chicago/Turabian Style

Daboussi, Imen, Nour Elhouda Fehri, Michela Contò, Marta Castrica, Safa Bejaoui, Alda Quattrone, Mohamed Amine Ferchichi, Marouen Amraoui, Souha Tibaoui, Giulio Curone, and et al. 2025. "Growth Performance, Carcass Traits and Meat Quality in Rabbits Fed with Two Different Percentages of Extruded Linseed" Foods 14, no. 10: 1778. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14101778

APA Style

Daboussi, I., Fehri, N. E., Contò, M., Castrica, M., Bejaoui, S., Quattrone, A., Ferchichi, M. A., Amraoui, M., Tibaoui, S., Curone, G., Vigo, D., Menchetti, L., Dal Bosco, A., Andoni, E., Brecchia, G., Failla, S., & Jemmali, B. (2025). Growth Performance, Carcass Traits and Meat Quality in Rabbits Fed with Two Different Percentages of Extruded Linseed. Foods, 14(10), 1778. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods14101778

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Growth Performance, Carcass Traits and Meat Quality in Rabbits Fed with Two Different Percentages of Extruded Linseed

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