Abstract
Forty-two New Zealand White rabbits (n = 21/group) were fed with two different diets: a commercial diet (control group) and a diet supplemented with goji berries (3% w/w). After slaughtering, the effect of dietary supplementation on microbiological, physico-chemical, and sensory characteristics of the rabbit loins, packed in an oxygen-permeable package, was evaluated at 6 h post mortem (day 0), after 4 and 10 days of refrigerated storage. No relevant results were obtained for pH and total volatile basic Nitrogen (TVBN) values but with regards to the color, some significant differences were observed between the groups. The goji berries (GBs) dietary supplementation had positive effects by reducing thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values in all the observations (p < 0.001). Moreover, microbiological results showed that the supplementation had a significant impact on Lactobacillus spp. (p < 0.001) prevalence, indeed the goji group had higher means on day 0 (p < 0.05) and on day 4 (p < 0.001) than the control group. Lastly, with regards to the consumer’s test, the tasters assigned a higher score to GBs rabbit meatballs and the purchase interest increased when the rabbit diet was known. Overall, these results indicate that the goji berries inclusion in the rabbit diet could represent a valuable strategy to improve quality and sensory traits of meat.
Highlights
Goji berries (GBs) (Lycium barbarum) are grown naturally in East Asia, especially in the valleys of the Himalayas [1]
Given that the effects of GBs supplementation on microbiological quality and on sensory characteristics of foods remained unexplored to this point, the aim of the study was to analyze the impact of dietary supplementation with 3% (w/w) of goji berries on microbiological quality, physicochemical, and sensory characteristics of rabbit meat
There were no differences between groups in either dressed carcass weights
Summary
Goji berries (GBs) (Lycium barbarum) are grown naturally in East Asia, especially in the valleys of the Himalayas [1]. GBs are historically considered an essential element in the Mongolian and Tibetan traditional medicine, generically used as a dietary supplement [2]. L. barbarum was initially introduced in Europe in the 16th century as an ornamental tree, and only after the 21st century was its fruit (GBs) included into Western diets [3]. Its health promoting properties were classified as nutraceutical food [5], used in human dietary as prevention of diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and for the reduction of cancer risk [6]. The goji berries health benefits are represented by their protection of the gastrointestinal tract as well as their anti-ageing and immune-stimulating properties [1]
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