RT Journal Article
T1 Supplementation with Fish Oil Improves Meat Fatty Acid Profile although Impairs Growth Performance of Early Weaned Rabbits
A1 Rodríguez, María
A1 Carro, María Dolores
A1 Valiente, Víctor
A1 Formoso-Rafferty Castilla, Nora
A1 Rebollar, Pilar G.
AB Our objective was to analyze the influence of replacing lard (control) with fish oil (FO) rich in long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in the diet of rabbits weaned at 25 days of age on their growth performance, meat quality, cecal fermentation, and ileal morphology. Twenty-four litters (12 control and 12 FO) of nine kits each were fed the experimental diets from weaning (25 days) until slaughter at 60 days of age. Half of the litters (six per diet) were used to monitor productive performance, carcass characteristics, and ileal morphology, and cecal fermentation was assessed in the rest of litters. Diet had no influence on feed intake, meat color, and pH or cecal fermentation, but FO-fed rabbits had lower (p ≤ 0.049) average daily gain, chilled carcass weight, and perirenal fat than control rabbits. Fish oil inclusion in the diet resulted in lower morbidity (5.56% vs. 20.4%; p = 0.019) and a healthier fatty acid profile with lower (p < 0.001) n-6/n-3 ratios in both muscle and perirenal fat. In summary, the inclusion of FO in the diet of early weaned rabbits improved the fatty acid profile of rabbit meat and fat and decreased the morbidity, but growth performance was slightly reduced.
PB MDPI
SN 2076-2615
YR 2019
FD 2019-07-11
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/12501
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/12501
LA eng
NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)
NO Comunidad de Madrid
DS Docta Complutense
RD 20 mar 2026