Grape seed supplementation in growing rabbits: Effect on meat quality

Grape seed supplementation in rabbit diet on meat quality and performance was investigated. The experiment lasted 57 days and was conducted with forty Hycole rabbits 35 days-old (bodyweight: 802.6 ± 2.69 g) that were randomly divided into two groups and fed either a control diet (Control group) or the same diet of the control group in which 5 % of barley and 5 % of maize were replaced with 10 % of grape seed (GS group). The dietary treatment influenced final body weight, average daily gain and dry matter intake which were higher (P < 0.05) in the GS group than in the control group. The addition of 10 % grape seed in rabbit diet increased the accumulation of intramuscular fat (P < 0.05), the levels of C18:1 cis-9 (P < 0.01) and of the total monounsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.01), and tended to increase (P = 0.061) the sum of n-6 PUFA in meat, whereas reduced the sum of n-3 PUFA (P < 0.05), the levels of C22:5 n-3 (P < 0.05) and C22:6 n-3 (P < 0.05), leading to an increase (P < 0.01) in the n-6 to n-3 ratio in GS group than in control group. Grape seed supplementation reduced TBARS values (P < 0.01) and protected meat from lipid oxidation over time (P < 0.01), demonstrating that supplementation of 10 % grape seeds in the rabbit diet could improve shelf-life in meat.