EFFECTS OF WITHHOLDING FOOD AND/OR WATER SUPPLY ON THE QUALITY OF MEAT FROM REX RABBITS

Abstract

ABSTRACT The effects of withholding food and/or water supply on the quality of meat from rex rabbits were investigated. Thirty‐two rabbits were maintained under four different conditions: food and water respectively withheld 16–18 h and 6–8 h before slaughter (group 1); food withheld for 16–18 h, but water available ad libitum (group 2); food available ad libitum, but water withheld for 6–8 h (group 3); food and water available ad libitum (group 4). The pH24 h (pH of meat at 24 h postmortem) increased following fasting. Withholding food or water decreased the lightness (L*‐value) of meat after storage for 24 h. Group 2 had the highest redness value (a*‐value). Drip loss, ripe meat ratio and tenderness were more affected by withholding water than by withholding food. Water content and intramuscular fat content were not affected by the treatment conditions (P < 0.05). Group 2 had the lowest drip loss and Warner–Bratzler shear force value, and the highest ripe meat ratio. Therefore, the best‐quality rabbit meat can be obtained by withholding food for 16–18 h before slaughter, but allowing access to water ad libitum.PRACTICAL APPLICATIONSRabbit meat has become increasingly popular because of its high nutritional value. However, relatively little is known about the factors that affect the quality of rabbit meat, as especially few investigations have considered the effects of pre‐slaughter conditions on rabbit meat quality. We were interested in knowing the effects of withholding food and/or water on rabbit meat quality, and have done some research in this field. We found that the best‐quality rabbit meat can be obtained by withholding food for 16–18 h before slaughter, but allowing access to water ad libitum. This finding could be a reference value for rabbit meat production.