Effect of dietary α-linolenic acid and vitamin E on the fatty acid composition, storage stability and sensory traits of rabbit meat

Abstract

The synergistic effect of dietary linolenic acid and vitamin E on the oxidative stability and nutritional and eating characteristics of fresh and stored rabbit meat was studied. One-hundred hybrid male rabbits were divided into two homogenous groups and fed ad libitum two diets differing in the amount of sunflower and flaxseed and in the level of α-tocopherol, as follows: control diet: 0.08 kg kg −1 sunflower, 50 mg kg −1 α-tocopheryl-acetate and LNA–VE diet: 0.08 kg kg −1 flaxseed, 200 mg kg −1 α-tocopheryl-acetate. At 85 days, 20 rabbits per group were slaughtered and the thiobarbituric-acid reactive substances (TBA–RS), chemical composition, fatty acid profile and sensory quality were assessed on the longissimus dorsi muscles (fresh and stored for 8 days at 4 °C). The proximate composition of the fresh muscle was not significantly affected by the dietary treatment. Rabbits fed the LNA–VE diet showed a good capability to elongate and desaturate linolenic acid and this diet enriched the n-3 PUFA content of the meat without affecting its peroxidative stability. The sensory quality of the fresh and stored muscle was slightly affected by the dietary treatment, even though final tenderness (fresh meat) and overall acceptability (stored meat) of the LNA–VE rabbits showed significantly higher scores.