Fatty acid content of pasture-reared fryer rabbit meat

This study evaluated the fatty acid content of rabbit meat from New Zealand White×Californian cross fryers born and reared outdoors on pasture (O/O), born and reared indoors in cages (I/I), or born indoors in cages and reared outdoors on pasture (I/O). The rabbits were sacrificed at 104 days of age and the left loin muscle (m. Longissimus dorsi) harvested for fat analysis. The standard AOAC methods were used to determine total fat and fatty acid contents. Compared to animals reared in cages, rabbits reared outdoors on pasture had significantly less total fat, higher proportions of eicosatrienoic and docosaenoic fatty acids and higher amounts of the n-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic, docosapentaenoic and eicosapentaenoic. These data suggest that a grass-based diet may alter the fatty acid profile of rabbit meat, thus enhancing the n-3 fatty acid content and the nutritional value of the meat.