Soybean oil and selenium yeast levels in the diet of rabbits on performance, fatty acid profile, enzyme activity and oxidative stability of meat

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the effectiveness of selenium yeast (Se, 0 and 0.15 mg/kg) as an antioxidant agent and its incorporation into meat when associated with different levels of soybean oil (SO, 1.5% and 3.0%) in the diet of rabbits. Rabbit meat was evaluated for chemical composition, fatty acid profile, enzymatic activity and oxidative stability. The increase in the soybean oil level promoted better incorporation of selenium in the meat. The 3.0% SO level improved the fatty acid profile of the meat, promoting a better saturated/unsaturated ratio and increased linoleic acid deposition. Malondialdehyde values in meat were affected by storage time and by the addition of selenium in the diet. Thus, the higher SO levels contributed to improve the saturated/unsaturated fatty acid ratio, which was directly influenced by the meat storage time. On the other hand, supplementation with Se yeast promoted better elongase enzyme activity, aiding in the production of eicosanoic acid and decreased lipid oxidation of rabbit meat.