BIBLIOGRAPHY BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL ...
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013. Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit
(Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds. Benguet State University, La Trinidad,
Benguet.
Adviser: Myrna B. Walsiyen, MSc.
ABSTRACT
The study on the carcass characteristic of rabbits fed with different garden weeds
was conducted at the Meat Processing Laboratory of the Department of Animal Science,
College of Agriculture, Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet on January 2013.
The general objective of the study was to determine the carcass characteristics of
rabbits fed with garden weeds. Specifically, this study aimed to determine the slaughter
and carcass weights and dressing percentage; the weight of the major cuts of rabbits namely
the loin, belly, front legs with shoulder, and hind legs with thighs; the weight of viscera,
gastrointestinal tract; and carcass quality through organoleptic test in terms of appearance,
aroma, tenderness, juiciness and taste and its overall acceptability.
A total of 9 rabbits, obtained from a previous feeding trial, was used in the study.
These were divided into three treatments and each treatment had three replications. The
different treatments were as follows: Japanese weeds (T1), Creeping nods (T2), and
Cobblers peg (T3).
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Results of the study showed no significant differences among treatments in all the
parameters gathered in the study as revealed by the statistical analysis. The mean slaughter
weight of the rabbits in the different treatments ranged from 2.08-2.17kg, carcass weight
0.900-0.990kg, dressing percentage 43.45-47.7%, carcass length 28.00- 28.67cm and
weights of viscera, full and empty GITs and pelts expressed as percentage of slaughter
weight were 22.30-23.785, 6.03-7.91%, and 14.7515.73% respectively.
In the sensory evaluation, the meat samples obtained from the three treatments as rated by
the panel of tasters were all moderately desirable in appearance and likes moderately in
aroma. They were all rated also to be moderately tender in tenderness, moderately juicy in
juiciness and moderately good in taste. Lastly, in terms of acceptability all the meat
samples were like moderately by the panel of tasters.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
INTRODUCTION
Rabbits belong to order Lagomorpha, which includes 40 or so species of rabbits,
hares and Pikas. Fossil records suggest that Lagomorpha evolved in Asia at least 40 million
years ago, during the Eocene period. Wild rabbit evolved around 4,000 years ago on the
Iberian Peninsula, the name 'Hispania' (Spain) is translated from the name given to that
area by Phoenician merchants, meaning 'land of the rabbits. When the Romans arrived in
Spain around 200 BC, they began to farm the native rabbits for their meat and fur and in
the 5th Century the monks have been first domesticated rabbits of Champagne Region in
France. Monks were the first to keep rabbits in cages as a readily available food source,
and the first to experiment with selective breeding for traits such as weight or fur color.
12th Century, rabbits were introduced to Britain during the middle Ages, the breeding and
farming of rabbits for meat and fur became widespread throughout Europe. Medieval
gentry even kept rabbits as pets (www.bunnyhugga.com, 2010).
There are various nutritional facts on rabbit meat have 3.5 ounces of contains 100%
of the RDA B 12, also has 33% less sodium than chicken, low in cholesterol, low in
calories, low in saturated fats, high in protein, low in sodium, all white meat and because
of its nutritious meat rabbit meat is recommended for a variety of health specific specialty
diets (Usakowski, 2011).
Rabbit is primarily a white meat that is very fine in texture and it has very low in
fiber content. Because of low fiber content, it is easily digested, which is desirable for
individuals who may have difficulty in chewing their food (Warren, 2002).
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Rabbit contains more protein which is 25% than chicken which is 15% Rabbit
meat has lower fat content that meat and pork (Jamora, 1978).
Rabbit production offers great potential as means of converting tropical forages and
agricultural by products to human food. Practically, rabbits can be fed anything from the
garden, forest or kitchen including banana and papaya (paw paw) peels, pineapple cores,
corn stalk, weeds, vines from pulse, leaves (cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, carrots, etc.)
(Moreki, 2007).
The general objective of the study was to determine the carcass characteristics of
rabbits fed with garden weeds. Specifically, this study aimed to determine the slaughter
carcass weights and dressing percentage; the weight of the major cuts namely the loin,
belly, front quarter, and hind quarter of the rabbits; the weight of viscera, gastrointestinal
tract; and carcass quality through organoleptic test in terms of appearance, aroma,
tenderness, juiciness and taste.
The study was conducted at the Meat Processing Laboratory of the Department of
Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet
on February 2013.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Rabbit meat is richer in proteins and certain vitamins and minerals, as compared
with other meat. However, it has less fat. Its fat contains less stearic and oleic acids than
other species and higher proportion of the essential polyunsaturated linolenic and linoleic
fatty acids (FAO, 2009).
Rabbit meat is white, fine grained, delicately flavored, nutritious and appetizing.
The age of the larger roaster rabbits is six months or more. The meat from the rabbits
require simmering or longer and slower in cover pan. The size of the carcass is the fine
quality of the meat. The major used of domestic rabbits is for meat production. Medium
and heavy weight breeds are best suited for meat production (Templeton, 1968).
Longbuan (2009) in his study on the growth response of rabbits fed with selected
weeds revealed that Cobblers’ peg or “poket” are efficient to the growth performance of
rabbit and it can be used as an alternative to sustain production of rabbits during time of
crisis which pellets pare very high in cost
Japanese weed, locally termed as “Sap-sapon”, belonging to the family asteraceae.
It is an annual herb growing up to 180 cm tall. Its use is widespread in many tropical and
subtropical regions. Its fleshy, mucilagininous leaves and stems are eaten as a vegetable,
and many parts of the plant have medicinal uses and are used as food for rabbits. These
weed are commonly found in vegetative crops, plantation crops, cultivated lands, waste
places (Colting, M.et.al 2003).
De Leon (1998) cited that the basic feed for rabbits is roughage and so they should
be given a wide selection of grass, cover crops, and any given leafy plants. He also cited
that to ensure fast growth rabbits can be fed pellets, growing mash, and corn or rice bran.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Maddul (1991) cited that the digestive system of rabbits allows the utilization of
the forage based diets effectively despite its being a non-ruminant. Consequently, rabbits
are well suited to low energy fibrous feedstuffs and are less well-adapted to high energy
ingredients, such as cereal grains. Thus, fibrous feedstuff such as fodders or fresh forage is
typically the basal ingredients of rabbits diet. For small-scale rabbit raising, feeding greens
such as grass, vegetable tops, carrots and other succulent feeds may be feasible, but is not
practical on a commercial scale.
Church (1986) stated if palatable greens are fed free choice, the amount of pellets
offered will be reduced about half, with no adverse effect on performance.
Indigenous plants, in which weeds are included, play an important role in livestock
diets particularly in the Cordillera Regions. This plants supply large proportion of the
proteins, vitamins, and minerals to the animal. In addition, some are used in medical
purpose. The plants are adapted to the temperature, moisture, and specific conditions and
grow well on water logged soil, and some are fast growing and harvested all year around
(Buathoki, 1993).
Rabbit meat is highly digestible, taste, low, and calorie food, often recommended
by nutritionist over the meats. Moreover, large rabbit industry integration is becoming
more important and the development of rabbit meat production forcing processing plant to
improve slaughter capacities by using high speed and more automated slaughter lines
(World Rabbit Science, 2004).
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Organoleptic Evaluation
According to FAO (2012), organoleptic evaluation consists in describing the
attributes of food, as perceived by the sense organs. The attributes to be evaluated are
appearance, color, texture and consistency, smell and taste.
Appearance
The is way the meat looks, either as a carcass or as boneless meat cuts, has an
important impact on its objective or subjective evaluation.
Color
Under circumstances the color of the meat is the range of red and may differ from
dark red, bright red to slightly red; but also pink, grey and brown colors may occur. In
many cases the color indicates the type and stage of the treatment to which the meat has
been subjected, as well as the stage of the freshness. In judging meat color, some experience
is needed to be able to distinguish between the color, which is typical for a specific
treatment or which is typical for specific freshness. Furthermore, meat deriving from
different species of animals may have rather different colors, as can easily be seen when
comparing beef, pork and poultry meat. The natural color of fresh meat, except poultry
meat, is dark red, caused by the muscle pigment, myoglobin. Fresh meat surfaces which
has been in contact with the air for only a short period turn into a bright red color because
of the influence of the oxygen in the air.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Texture and Consistency (tenderness and juiciness)
Meat prepared for the consumer should be tender and juicy. Meat tenderness
depends on animal species from which the mate originates. Lamb, pork and poultry meat
are sufficiently tender after slaughter, but beef requires a certain period of maturation to
achieve optimal eating quality.
Smell and Taste (aroma and flavour)
These characteristics are related to each other to a certain extent because they have
to be evaluated together for the reliable determination of product flavor. The smell of fresh
meat should be slightly acidic, increasing in relation to the duration of the ripening period
because of the formation of acids such as lactic acid. On the other hand, meat in the
decomposition generates an increasingly unpleasant odor owing to substances originating
from the bacterial degradation of the meat proteins, such as sulphur compounds,
mercaptane, etc. The freshness of meat generally indicated by its smell together with its
appearance and color. Sorting out deteriorated meat is mandatory from the point of view
of the product’s palatability. It is also important because of the fact that high bacterial
contamination of meat decomposition could be accompanied by food-poisoning bacteria
(pathogens), which have deleterious impact on consumers’ health. On the other hand, the
best fresh meat can also be heavily contaminated with food-poisoning bacteria because
these micro-organisms do not cause organoleptic alterations by destruction of meat
proteins.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Materials
The materials used in the experiment include 9 rabbits that were more or less 2
kilograms in weight, (plate1) weighing scale, bolo or knife, pail, basin, chopping board,
pen, record book, tape measure and camera.
Methodology
Experimental animals and treatments. This study made use of rabbits subjected to
a growth trial which utilized garden weeds as feeds. The different treatments were as
follows:
T1 - Japanese weed
T2 - Creeping nods
T3 - Cobblers peg
Slaughter of rabbits. Three rabbits from each treatment were slaughtered. Before
the animals were slaughtered, these were fasted for 12 hours. During slaughtering, the
jugular vein was cut with sharp knife. To allow complete bleeding, the head was
immediately removed across the back of the head down to the tip of the jaw. The feet were
removed after which the skin was cut at the back joints of the legs across the lower part of
the body. A slit was made from the lower part of the abdomen near the anus to the mid-
point of the lowest rib taking care to not puncture the intestine. The internal organs and gut
contents were removed and weighed after evisceration. The dressed carcass (Figure 1) was
weighed. The length of the dressed carcass was measured from the atlas vertebra to the
first bone of the tail. The weight of the major cuts were also obtained namely the hind legs
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
(including the thighs), loin belly, front legs (including shoulders). Likewise the weight of
the visceral organs as a whole was also obtained.
Figure 1. One of the rabbits slaughter and its carcass
Organoleptic test. The meat samples for taste were taken from the loin, belly and
leg portion of the carcass. These were steamed at the same time in the same type of utensil
(casserole) for 45 minutes. Steaming was done per treatment; Meat samples were sliced
into bite sizes and were given to the panel of testers composed of 10 professionals and 10
students aging from 15-20 years old. Each member of the panel was provided with a score
card for him to put his rating after tasting each sample. Also, each member was requested
to drink water after each taste to remove any remains of the meat samples previously eaten
that may have affected his rating for the succeeding meat samples.
Data Gathered
1. Slaughtered weight (kg). This refers to the weight of the fasted rabbit before
slaughter.
2. Carcass weight (kg). This refers to the weight of the carcass without the head,
pelt, tail, feet, and viscera.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
3. Carcass length (cm). This refers to the length of the carcass from the atlas to the
base of the tail.(Figure.2)
Figure 2. One of the rabbit carcasses with its carcass length being measured
4. Weight of major cuts (kg). This was obtained by taking the weight of each of the
major cuts namely the loin, belly, front quarter and the hind quarter of the rabbits (figure
3).
Figure 3. Samples of the major cuts namely the front quarter, loin, belly, and hind
quarter .
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
5. Weight of viscera (kg). This refers to the weight of the internal organs such as
heart, spleen, liver and intestines (Figure 4).
Figure 4.Visceral organs of one of the rabbits slaughtered being weighed
6. Weight of full GIT (kg). This refers to the weight of the gastrointestinal tract and
contents (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Weighing of the full GIT of one of the rabbits slaughtered
7. Weight of cleaned GIT (empty) (kg). This refers to the weight of the empty
gastrointestinal tract.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
8. Weight of pelt (kg) This refers to the weight of the skin together with the fur
(figure 6)
Figure 6. Pelt of one of the rabbits slaughtered being weighed.
Data Computed
1. Dressing percentage (kg). This was obtained by dividing the carcass weight by
the slaughter weight multiplied by 100 percent.
2. Percentage of cuts (kg). This was obtained by dividing the weight of each of the
cuts such as the front legs, hind legs, belly, and loin by the dressed weight multiplied by
100 percent.
3. Percent of viscera. This was obtained by dividing the weight of the viscera by
the slaughter weight multiplied by 100 percent.
4. Percentage of full GIT. This was obtained by dividing the weight of the full GIT
by the slaughter weight multiplied by 100 percent.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
5. Percentage of clean GIT. This was obtained by dividing the weight of the cleaned
GIT by the slaughter weight multiplied 100 percent.
6. Percentage of pelt. This was obtained by dividing weight of the lean by the
carcass weight multiplied 100percent.
7. Sensory evaluation. This was obtained through organoleptic testing of cooked
meat samples as rated by a panel of tasters. In terms of appearance, aroma, tenderness,
juiciness, taste and over all acceptability of the cooked meat.
Data Analysis
All data were recorded, tabulated and analyzed using the Completely Randomized
Design (CRD). The significance between treatment means was determined using the
Duncans Multiple Range Test (DMRT).
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Slaughter Weight, Carcass Weight
and Dressing Percentage
Table 1 presents the slaughter and carcass weights and dressing percentage of the
rabbits in the different treatments. True to all the parameters, statistical analysis revealed
that there were no significant differences between treatment means. This means that the
sample rabbits used in the study were more or less of the same weight at slaughter. The
rabbits had an overall mean slaughter weight of 2.11 kg.
The carcass weights of the rabbits ranged from 0.90 to 0.99 kg and the dressing
percentages ranged from 43.5 to 47.2 %. Noticeable differences are observed as presented
in the Table but such differences were still considered small to cause significant effects as
revealed by the statistical differences. The non-significance between treatment means
reveals that the carcass weights and dressing percentages of the rabbits in all the treatments
were more or less the same.
Table 1. Slaughter weight, carcass weight, and dressing percentage of rabbits in the
different treatments.
PARAMETERS
TREATMENTS
SLAUGTHER
CARCASS
DRESSING
WEIGHT (kg)
WEIGHT (kg)
PERCENTAGE
Japanese weed
2.09a
0.99a
47.2a
Creeping nods
2.08a
0.90a
43.45a
Cobblers peg
2.17a
0.99a
45.68a
*Means with the same letter are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
It is also revealed that the garden weeds used in the study namely Japanese weed, creeping
nods, and Cobblers peg did not affect the carcass weights and dressing percentages of the
rabbits in all treatments.
Carcass Length
Presented in Table 2 are the carcass lengths of the rabbits carcasses in the different
treatments. Statistical analysis revealed that there were no significant differences between
treatment means. This means that the carcass length of the rabbits after slaughtering in all
the treatments were more or less the same. It also means that the garden weeds namely
Japanese weeds, Cobblers peg, and creeping nods did not affect the carcass lengths of the
rabbits.
Table 2. Carcass lengths of the rabbit carcasses in the different treatments
TREATMENTS
CARCASS LENGTH (cm)
Japanese weed
28.67a
Creeping nods
28.33a
Cobblers peg
28.00a
*Means with the same letter are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Major Meat Cuts Yield
The weight of the major meat cuts namely the loin, belly, hind legs with thighs and
front legs with shoulder expressed as percentage of the slaughter weight are shown in Table
3. No significant differences were obtained between treatments in all the cuts. This implies
that the weights of the major cuts expressed as percentage of the slaughter weight were
more or less similar. This also implies that though there are noticeable differences between
treatments means as presented in Table 3, such differences were still considered small to
cause significant effects.
Weight of Viscera
The weight of internal organs expressed as percentage of the slaughter weight of
the rabbits in all the treatments are presented in Table 4. Similar to the major meat cuts,
statistical analysis showed no significant differences. This means that the percent weight
of the internal organs in all the treatments were more or less similar. The weights expressed
as percentage of the slaughter weight were 23.78% of cobblers peg, 22.26% for Creeping
nods and Japanese weed had 22.30%.
Table 3. Major meat cuts of rabbit expressed as percentage of slaughter weight
MEAN*
TREATMENTS
LOIN
BELLY
HIND
FRONT
LEGS LEGS
Japanese weed
8.86a
0.04a
12.46a
7.67a
Creeping nods
9.30a
0.04a
11.75a
7.40a
Cobblers peg
9.02a
0.04a
12.63a
7.06a
*Means with the same letter are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Table 4. Weight of viscera expressed as percentage of slaughter weight in the different
treatments
TREATMENTS
MEAN
Japanese weed
22.30b
Creeping nods
22.66b
Cobblers peg
23.78a
*Means with the same letters are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Weight of Full and Empty GITs
The weights of the GITs expressed as percentage of the slaughter weight are
presented in Table 5. No significant differences were observed as revealed by the statistical
analysis in both parameters. This implies that the weight of the GITs of the rabbits fed with
cobblers peg, Japanese weeds and creeping nods were more or less similar in weight.
Weight of Pelt
The weights of pelt per treatment are presented in Table 6. The weeds fed to the
rabbits had no significant effect on the weight of pelt as revealed by statistical analysis.
The overall mean percentage of the pelts of the rabbits was 15.20%.
Sensory Evaluation
The sensory evaluation of the cooked meat samples in the different treatments in
terms of appearance, aroma, tenderness, juiciness, taste and over all acceptability are
presented in Table 7. True to all the parameters, no significant differences between
treatments were observed as revealed by the statistical analysis. This implies that the
Table 5. Weight of full and empty GIT expressed as percentage of slaughter weight in the
different treatments (%).
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
MEAN
TREATMENTS
FULL GIT
EMPTY GIT
Japanese weed
17.33a
7.58a
Creeping nods
17.25a
6.03a
Cobblers peg
18.71a
7.91a
*Means with the same letter are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Table 6. Weight of pelt expressed as percentage of the slaughter weight in the different
Treatments (%).
TREATMENTS
MEAN
Japanese weed
15.27a
Creeping nods
15.73a
Cobblers peg
14.75a
*Means with the same letters are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Cooked meats samples derived from the rabbits fed with Japanese weeds, creeping
nods, and cobblers peg were comparable with each other in terms of appearance, aroma,
tenderness, juiciness, taste and over all acceptability as evaluated by the panel of tasters
The meat samples were all rated as moderately desirable in appearance, liked
moderately in aroma and were moderately tender and juicy as rated by the panel of tasters.
The cooked meat samples in all the treatments were all rated as moderately good in taste
and were all liked moderately in acceptability.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Table 7. Sensory Evaluation of the cooked rabbit meat
TREATMENTS
MEAN
VERBAL DESCRIPTION
Appearance
Japanese weed
1.85a
Moderately desirable
Creeping nods
1.87a
Moderately desirable
Cobblers peg
1.83a
Moderately desirable
Aroma
Japanese weed
2.05a
Likes Moderately
Creeping nods
1.97a
Likes Moderately
Cobblers peg
1.97a
Likes Moderately
tenderness
Japanese weed
1.85a
Moderately Tender
Creeping nods
1.87a
Moderately Tender
Cobblers peg
1.83a
Moderately Tender
Juiciness
Japanese weed
1.73a
Moderately Juicy
Creeping nods
1.92a
Moderately Juicy
Cobblers peg
1.92a
Moderately Juicy
Taste
Japanese weed
1.73a
Moderately good
Creeping nods
1.92a
Moderately good
Cobblers peg
1.92a
Moderately good
Acceptability
Japanese weed
2.05a
Likes Moderately
Creeping nods
1.97a
Likes Moderately
Cobblers peg
1.97a
Likes Moderately
*Means with the same letter are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
The study on the carcass characteristic of rabbits fed with different garden weeds
was conducted at the Meat Processing Laboratory of the Department of Animal Science,
College of Agriculture, Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet on January 2013.
The general objective of the study was to determine the carcass characteristics of
rabbits fed with garden weeds. Specifically, this study aimed to determine the slaughter
and carcass weights and dressing percentage; the weight of the major cuts of rabbits namely
the loin, belly, front legs with shoulder, and hind legs with thighs; the weight of viscera,
gastrointestinal tract; and carcass quality through organoleptic test in terms of appearance,
aroma, tenderness, juiciness and taste and its overall acceptability.
A total of 9 rabbits, obtained from a previous feeding trial, was used in the study.
These were divided into three treatments and each treatment had three replications. The
different treatments were as follows: Japanese weeds (T1), Creeping nods (T2), and
Cobblers peg (T3).
Results of the study showed no significant differences in all the parameters gathered
in the study as revealed by the statistical analysis. The mean slaughter weight of the rabbits
in the different treatments ranged from (2.08-2.17kg), carcass weight (0.900-0.990kg),
dressing percentage (43.45-47.7%), carcass length (28.00- 28.67cm) and weights of
viscera, full and empty GITs and pelts expressed as percentage of slaughter weight were
22.30-23.785, 6.03-7.91%, and 14.7515.73% respectively.
In the sensory evaluation, the meat samples obtained from the three treatments as
rated by the panel of tasters were all moderately desirable in appearance and likes
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
moderately in aroma. They were all rated also to be moderately tender in tenderness,
moderately juicy in juiciness and moderately good in taste. Lastly, in terms of acceptability
all the meat samples were like moderately by the panel of tasters.
Conclusion
Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the different garden
weeds namely Japanese weed, Creeping nods and the Cobblers peg had no effect on the
carcass characteristics of the rabbits.
Recommendation
Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that rabbit raisers may use
Japanese weeds, Creeping nods and Cobblers peg as feeds to their rabbits.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
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BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
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Proceeding/Congress2004Puebla/Paper/Meat%20Quality-Bianospon-
2.pdfwww.bunnyhugga.com.2010.
USAKOWSKI, R. 2011. Nutritional Value of Rabbit Meat. Retrieved July 31, 2012 from
from World Wide Web: www. theelittleladiesrabbittry.com
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013. Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit
(Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds. Benguet State University, La Trinidad,
Benguet.
Adviser: Myrna B. Walsiyen, MSc.
ABSTRACT
The study on the carcass characteristic of rabbits fed with different garden weeds
was conducted at the Meat Processing Laboratory of the Department of Animal Science,
College of Agriculture, Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet on January 2013.
The general objective of the study was to determine the carcass characteristics of
rabbits fed with garden weeds. Specifically, this study aimed to determine the slaughter
and carcass weights and dressing percentage; the weight of the major cuts of rabbits namely
the loin, belly, front legs with shoulder, and hind legs with thighs; the weight of viscera,
gastrointestinal tract; and carcass quality through organoleptic test in terms of appearance,
aroma, tenderness, juiciness and taste and its overall acceptability.
A total of 9 rabbits, obtained from a previous feeding trial, was used in the study.
These were divided into three treatments and each treatment had three replications. The
different treatments were as follows: Japanese weeds (T1), Creeping nods (T2), and
Cobblers peg (T3).
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Results of the study showed no significant differences among treatments in all the
parameters gathered in the study as revealed by the statistical analysis. The mean slaughter
weight of the rabbits in the different treatments ranged from 2.08-2.17kg, carcass weight
0.900-0.990kg, dressing percentage 43.45-47.7%, carcass length 28.00- 28.67cm and
weights of viscera, full and empty GITs and pelts expressed as percentage of slaughter
weight were 22.30-23.785, 6.03-7.91%, and 14.7515.73% respectively.
In the sensory evaluation, the meat samples obtained from the three treatments as rated by
the panel of tasters were all moderately desirable in appearance and likes moderately in
aroma. They were all rated also to be moderately tender in tenderness, moderately juicy in
juiciness and moderately good in taste. Lastly, in terms of acceptability all the meat
samples were like moderately by the panel of tasters.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
INTRODUCTION
Rabbits belong to order Lagomorpha, which includes 40 or so species of rabbits,
hares and Pikas. Fossil records suggest that Lagomorpha evolved in Asia at least 40 million
years ago, during the Eocene period. Wild rabbit evolved around 4,000 years ago on the
Iberian Peninsula, the name 'Hispania' (Spain) is translated from the name given to that
area by Phoenician merchants, meaning 'land of the rabbits. When the Romans arrived in
Spain around 200 BC, they began to farm the native rabbits for their meat and fur and in
the 5th Century the monks have been first domesticated rabbits of Champagne Region in
France. Monks were the first to keep rabbits in cages as a readily available food source,
and the first to experiment with selective breeding for traits such as weight or fur color.
12th Century, rabbits were introduced to Britain during the middle Ages, the breeding and
farming of rabbits for meat and fur became widespread throughout Europe. Medieval
gentry even kept rabbits as pets (www.bunnyhugga.com, 2010).
There are various nutritional facts on rabbit meat have 3.5 ounces of contains 100%
of the RDA B 12, also has 33% less sodium than chicken, low in cholesterol, low in
calories, low in saturated fats, high in protein, low in sodium, all white meat and because
of its nutritious meat rabbit meat is recommended for a variety of health specific specialty
diets (Usakowski, 2011).
Rabbit is primarily a white meat that is very fine in texture and it has very low in
fiber content. Because of low fiber content, it is easily digested, which is desirable for
individuals who may have difficulty in chewing their food (Warren, 2002).
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Rabbit contains more protein which is 25% than chicken which is 15% Rabbit
meat has lower fat content that meat and pork (Jamora, 1978).
Rabbit production offers great potential as means of converting tropical forages and
agricultural by products to human food. Practically, rabbits can be fed anything from the
garden, forest or kitchen including banana and papaya (paw paw) peels, pineapple cores,
corn stalk, weeds, vines from pulse, leaves (cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, carrots, etc.)
(Moreki, 2007).
The general objective of the study was to determine the carcass characteristics of
rabbits fed with garden weeds. Specifically, this study aimed to determine the slaughter
carcass weights and dressing percentage; the weight of the major cuts namely the loin,
belly, front quarter, and hind quarter of the rabbits; the weight of viscera, gastrointestinal
tract; and carcass quality through organoleptic test in terms of appearance, aroma,
tenderness, juiciness and taste.
The study was conducted at the Meat Processing Laboratory of the Department of
Animal Science, College of Agriculture, Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet
on February 2013.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Rabbit meat is richer in proteins and certain vitamins and minerals, as compared
with other meat. However, it has less fat. Its fat contains less stearic and oleic acids than
other species and higher proportion of the essential polyunsaturated linolenic and linoleic
fatty acids (FAO, 2009).
Rabbit meat is white, fine grained, delicately flavored, nutritious and appetizing.
The age of the larger roaster rabbits is six months or more. The meat from the rabbits
require simmering or longer and slower in cover pan. The size of the carcass is the fine
quality of the meat. The major used of domestic rabbits is for meat production. Medium
and heavy weight breeds are best suited for meat production (Templeton, 1968).
Longbuan (2009) in his study on the growth response of rabbits fed with selected
weeds revealed that Cobblers’ peg or “poket” are efficient to the growth performance of
rabbit and it can be used as an alternative to sustain production of rabbits during time of
crisis which pellets pare very high in cost
Japanese weed, locally termed as “Sap-sapon”, belonging to the family asteraceae.
It is an annual herb growing up to 180 cm tall. Its use is widespread in many tropical and
subtropical regions. Its fleshy, mucilagininous leaves and stems are eaten as a vegetable,
and many parts of the plant have medicinal uses and are used as food for rabbits. These
weed are commonly found in vegetative crops, plantation crops, cultivated lands, waste
places (Colting, M.et.al 2003).
De Leon (1998) cited that the basic feed for rabbits is roughage and so they should
be given a wide selection of grass, cover crops, and any given leafy plants. He also cited
that to ensure fast growth rabbits can be fed pellets, growing mash, and corn or rice bran.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Maddul (1991) cited that the digestive system of rabbits allows the utilization of
the forage based diets effectively despite its being a non-ruminant. Consequently, rabbits
are well suited to low energy fibrous feedstuffs and are less well-adapted to high energy
ingredients, such as cereal grains. Thus, fibrous feedstuff such as fodders or fresh forage is
typically the basal ingredients of rabbits diet. For small-scale rabbit raising, feeding greens
such as grass, vegetable tops, carrots and other succulent feeds may be feasible, but is not
practical on a commercial scale.
Church (1986) stated if palatable greens are fed free choice, the amount of pellets
offered will be reduced about half, with no adverse effect on performance.
Indigenous plants, in which weeds are included, play an important role in livestock
diets particularly in the Cordillera Regions. This plants supply large proportion of the
proteins, vitamins, and minerals to the animal. In addition, some are used in medical
purpose. The plants are adapted to the temperature, moisture, and specific conditions and
grow well on water logged soil, and some are fast growing and harvested all year around
(Buathoki, 1993).
Rabbit meat is highly digestible, taste, low, and calorie food, often recommended
by nutritionist over the meats. Moreover, large rabbit industry integration is becoming
more important and the development of rabbit meat production forcing processing plant to
improve slaughter capacities by using high speed and more automated slaughter lines
(World Rabbit Science, 2004).
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Organoleptic Evaluation
According to FAO (2012), organoleptic evaluation consists in describing the
attributes of food, as perceived by the sense organs. The attributes to be evaluated are
appearance, color, texture and consistency, smell and taste.
Appearance
The is way the meat looks, either as a carcass or as boneless meat cuts, has an
important impact on its objective or subjective evaluation.
Color
Under circumstances the color of the meat is the range of red and may differ from
dark red, bright red to slightly red; but also pink, grey and brown colors may occur. In
many cases the color indicates the type and stage of the treatment to which the meat has
been subjected, as well as the stage of the freshness. In judging meat color, some experience
is needed to be able to distinguish between the color, which is typical for a specific
treatment or which is typical for specific freshness. Furthermore, meat deriving from
different species of animals may have rather different colors, as can easily be seen when
comparing beef, pork and poultry meat. The natural color of fresh meat, except poultry
meat, is dark red, caused by the muscle pigment, myoglobin. Fresh meat surfaces which
has been in contact with the air for only a short period turn into a bright red color because
of the influence of the oxygen in the air.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Texture and Consistency (tenderness and juiciness)
Meat prepared for the consumer should be tender and juicy. Meat tenderness
depends on animal species from which the mate originates. Lamb, pork and poultry meat
are sufficiently tender after slaughter, but beef requires a certain period of maturation to
achieve optimal eating quality.
Smell and Taste (aroma and flavour)
These characteristics are related to each other to a certain extent because they have
to be evaluated together for the reliable determination of product flavor. The smell of fresh
meat should be slightly acidic, increasing in relation to the duration of the ripening period
because of the formation of acids such as lactic acid. On the other hand, meat in the
decomposition generates an increasingly unpleasant odor owing to substances originating
from the bacterial degradation of the meat proteins, such as sulphur compounds,
mercaptane, etc. The freshness of meat generally indicated by its smell together with its
appearance and color. Sorting out deteriorated meat is mandatory from the point of view
of the product’s palatability. It is also important because of the fact that high bacterial
contamination of meat decomposition could be accompanied by food-poisoning bacteria
(pathogens), which have deleterious impact on consumers’ health. On the other hand, the
best fresh meat can also be heavily contaminated with food-poisoning bacteria because
these micro-organisms do not cause organoleptic alterations by destruction of meat
proteins.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Materials
The materials used in the experiment include 9 rabbits that were more or less 2
kilograms in weight, (plate1) weighing scale, bolo or knife, pail, basin, chopping board,
pen, record book, tape measure and camera.
Methodology
Experimental animals and treatments. This study made use of rabbits subjected to
a growth trial which utilized garden weeds as feeds. The different treatments were as
follows:
T1 - Japanese weed
T2 - Creeping nods
T3 - Cobblers peg
Slaughter of rabbits. Three rabbits from each treatment were slaughtered. Before
the animals were slaughtered, these were fasted for 12 hours. During slaughtering, the
jugular vein was cut with sharp knife. To allow complete bleeding, the head was
immediately removed across the back of the head down to the tip of the jaw. The feet were
removed after which the skin was cut at the back joints of the legs across the lower part of
the body. A slit was made from the lower part of the abdomen near the anus to the mid-
point of the lowest rib taking care to not puncture the intestine. The internal organs and gut
contents were removed and weighed after evisceration. The dressed carcass (Figure 1) was
weighed. The length of the dressed carcass was measured from the atlas vertebra to the
first bone of the tail. The weight of the major cuts were also obtained namely the hind legs
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
(including the thighs), loin belly, front legs (including shoulders). Likewise the weight of
the visceral organs as a whole was also obtained.
Figure 1. One of the rabbits slaughter and its carcass
Organoleptic test. The meat samples for taste were taken from the loin, belly and
leg portion of the carcass. These were steamed at the same time in the same type of utensil
(casserole) for 45 minutes. Steaming was done per treatment; Meat samples were sliced
into bite sizes and were given to the panel of testers composed of 10 professionals and 10
students aging from 15-20 years old. Each member of the panel was provided with a score
card for him to put his rating after tasting each sample. Also, each member was requested
to drink water after each taste to remove any remains of the meat samples previously eaten
that may have affected his rating for the succeeding meat samples.
Data Gathered
1. Slaughtered weight (kg). This refers to the weight of the fasted rabbit before
slaughter.
2. Carcass weight (kg). This refers to the weight of the carcass without the head,
pelt, tail, feet, and viscera.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
3. Carcass length (cm). This refers to the length of the carcass from the atlas to the
base of the tail.(Figure.2)
Figure 2. One of the rabbit carcasses with its carcass length being measured
4. Weight of major cuts (kg). This was obtained by taking the weight of each of the
major cuts namely the loin, belly, front quarter and the hind quarter of the rabbits (figure
3).
Figure 3. Samples of the major cuts namely the front quarter, loin, belly, and hind
quarter .
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
5. Weight of viscera (kg). This refers to the weight of the internal organs such as
heart, spleen, liver and intestines (Figure 4).
Figure 4.Visceral organs of one of the rabbits slaughtered being weighed
6. Weight of full GIT (kg). This refers to the weight of the gastrointestinal tract and
contents (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Weighing of the full GIT of one of the rabbits slaughtered
7. Weight of cleaned GIT (empty) (kg). This refers to the weight of the empty
gastrointestinal tract.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
8. Weight of pelt (kg) This refers to the weight of the skin together with the fur
(figure 6)
Figure 6. Pelt of one of the rabbits slaughtered being weighed.
Data Computed
1. Dressing percentage (kg). This was obtained by dividing the carcass weight by
the slaughter weight multiplied by 100 percent.
2. Percentage of cuts (kg). This was obtained by dividing the weight of each of the
cuts such as the front legs, hind legs, belly, and loin by the dressed weight multiplied by
100 percent.
3. Percent of viscera. This was obtained by dividing the weight of the viscera by
the slaughter weight multiplied by 100 percent.
4. Percentage of full GIT. This was obtained by dividing the weight of the full GIT
by the slaughter weight multiplied by 100 percent.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
5. Percentage of clean GIT. This was obtained by dividing the weight of the cleaned
GIT by the slaughter weight multiplied 100 percent.
6. Percentage of pelt. This was obtained by dividing weight of the lean by the
carcass weight multiplied 100percent.
7. Sensory evaluation. This was obtained through organoleptic testing of cooked
meat samples as rated by a panel of tasters. In terms of appearance, aroma, tenderness,
juiciness, taste and over all acceptability of the cooked meat.
Data Analysis
All data were recorded, tabulated and analyzed using the Completely Randomized
Design (CRD). The significance between treatment means was determined using the
Duncans Multiple Range Test (DMRT).
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Slaughter Weight, Carcass Weight
and Dressing Percentage
Table 1 presents the slaughter and carcass weights and dressing percentage of the
rabbits in the different treatments. True to all the parameters, statistical analysis revealed
that there were no significant differences between treatment means. This means that the
sample rabbits used in the study were more or less of the same weight at slaughter. The
rabbits had an overall mean slaughter weight of 2.11 kg.
The carcass weights of the rabbits ranged from 0.90 to 0.99 kg and the dressing
percentages ranged from 43.5 to 47.2 %. Noticeable differences are observed as presented
in the Table but such differences were still considered small to cause significant effects as
revealed by the statistical differences. The non-significance between treatment means
reveals that the carcass weights and dressing percentages of the rabbits in all the treatments
were more or less the same.
Table 1. Slaughter weight, carcass weight, and dressing percentage of rabbits in the
different treatments.
PARAMETERS
TREATMENTS
SLAUGTHER
CARCASS
DRESSING
WEIGHT (kg)
WEIGHT (kg)
PERCENTAGE
Japanese weed
2.09a
0.99a
47.2a
Creeping nods
2.08a
0.90a
43.45a
Cobblers peg
2.17a
0.99a
45.68a
*Means with the same letter are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
It is also revealed that the garden weeds used in the study namely Japanese weed, creeping
nods, and Cobblers peg did not affect the carcass weights and dressing percentages of the
rabbits in all treatments.
Carcass Length
Presented in Table 2 are the carcass lengths of the rabbits carcasses in the different
treatments. Statistical analysis revealed that there were no significant differences between
treatment means. This means that the carcass length of the rabbits after slaughtering in all
the treatments were more or less the same. It also means that the garden weeds namely
Japanese weeds, Cobblers peg, and creeping nods did not affect the carcass lengths of the
rabbits.
Table 2. Carcass lengths of the rabbit carcasses in the different treatments
TREATMENTS
CARCASS LENGTH (cm)
Japanese weed
28.67a
Creeping nods
28.33a
Cobblers peg
28.00a
*Means with the same letter are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Major Meat Cuts Yield
The weight of the major meat cuts namely the loin, belly, hind legs with thighs and
front legs with shoulder expressed as percentage of the slaughter weight are shown in Table
3. No significant differences were obtained between treatments in all the cuts. This implies
that the weights of the major cuts expressed as percentage of the slaughter weight were
more or less similar. This also implies that though there are noticeable differences between
treatments means as presented in Table 3, such differences were still considered small to
cause significant effects.
Weight of Viscera
The weight of internal organs expressed as percentage of the slaughter weight of
the rabbits in all the treatments are presented in Table 4. Similar to the major meat cuts,
statistical analysis showed no significant differences. This means that the percent weight
of the internal organs in all the treatments were more or less similar. The weights expressed
as percentage of the slaughter weight were 23.78% of cobblers peg, 22.26% for Creeping
nods and Japanese weed had 22.30%.
Table 3. Major meat cuts of rabbit expressed as percentage of slaughter weight
MEAN*
TREATMENTS
LOIN
BELLY
HIND
FRONT
LEGS LEGS
Japanese weed
8.86a
0.04a
12.46a
7.67a
Creeping nods
9.30a
0.04a
11.75a
7.40a
Cobblers peg
9.02a
0.04a
12.63a
7.06a
*Means with the same letter are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Table 4. Weight of viscera expressed as percentage of slaughter weight in the different
treatments
TREATMENTS
MEAN
Japanese weed
22.30b
Creeping nods
22.66b
Cobblers peg
23.78a
*Means with the same letters are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Weight of Full and Empty GITs
The weights of the GITs expressed as percentage of the slaughter weight are
presented in Table 5. No significant differences were observed as revealed by the statistical
analysis in both parameters. This implies that the weight of the GITs of the rabbits fed with
cobblers peg, Japanese weeds and creeping nods were more or less similar in weight.
Weight of Pelt
The weights of pelt per treatment are presented in Table 6. The weeds fed to the
rabbits had no significant effect on the weight of pelt as revealed by statistical analysis.
The overall mean percentage of the pelts of the rabbits was 15.20%.
Sensory Evaluation
The sensory evaluation of the cooked meat samples in the different treatments in
terms of appearance, aroma, tenderness, juiciness, taste and over all acceptability are
presented in Table 7. True to all the parameters, no significant differences between
treatments were observed as revealed by the statistical analysis. This implies that the
Table 5. Weight of full and empty GIT expressed as percentage of slaughter weight in the
different treatments (%).
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
MEAN
TREATMENTS
FULL GIT
EMPTY GIT
Japanese weed
17.33a
7.58a
Creeping nods
17.25a
6.03a
Cobblers peg
18.71a
7.91a
*Means with the same letter are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Table 6. Weight of pelt expressed as percentage of the slaughter weight in the different
Treatments (%).
TREATMENTS
MEAN
Japanese weed
15.27a
Creeping nods
15.73a
Cobblers peg
14.75a
*Means with the same letters are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Cooked meats samples derived from the rabbits fed with Japanese weeds, creeping
nods, and cobblers peg were comparable with each other in terms of appearance, aroma,
tenderness, juiciness, taste and over all acceptability as evaluated by the panel of tasters
The meat samples were all rated as moderately desirable in appearance, liked
moderately in aroma and were moderately tender and juicy as rated by the panel of tasters.
The cooked meat samples in all the treatments were all rated as moderately good in taste
and were all liked moderately in acceptability.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
Table 7. Sensory Evaluation of the cooked rabbit meat
TREATMENTS
MEAN
VERBAL DESCRIPTION
Appearance
Japanese weed
1.85a
Moderately desirable
Creeping nods
1.87a
Moderately desirable
Cobblers peg
1.83a
Moderately desirable
Aroma
Japanese weed
2.05a
Likes Moderately
Creeping nods
1.97a
Likes Moderately
Cobblers peg
1.97a
Likes Moderately
tenderness
Japanese weed
1.85a
Moderately Tender
Creeping nods
1.87a
Moderately Tender
Cobblers peg
1.83a
Moderately Tender
Juiciness
Japanese weed
1.73a
Moderately Juicy
Creeping nods
1.92a
Moderately Juicy
Cobblers peg
1.92a
Moderately Juicy
Taste
Japanese weed
1.73a
Moderately good
Creeping nods
1.92a
Moderately good
Cobblers peg
1.92a
Moderately good
Acceptability
Japanese weed
2.05a
Likes Moderately
Creeping nods
1.97a
Likes Moderately
Cobblers peg
1.97a
Likes Moderately
*Means with the same letter are not significant different at 5% level, DMRT
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Summary
The study on the carcass characteristic of rabbits fed with different garden weeds
was conducted at the Meat Processing Laboratory of the Department of Animal Science,
College of Agriculture, Benguet State University, La Trinidad, Benguet on January 2013.
The general objective of the study was to determine the carcass characteristics of
rabbits fed with garden weeds. Specifically, this study aimed to determine the slaughter
and carcass weights and dressing percentage; the weight of the major cuts of rabbits namely
the loin, belly, front legs with shoulder, and hind legs with thighs; the weight of viscera,
gastrointestinal tract; and carcass quality through organoleptic test in terms of appearance,
aroma, tenderness, juiciness and taste and its overall acceptability.
A total of 9 rabbits, obtained from a previous feeding trial, was used in the study.
These were divided into three treatments and each treatment had three replications. The
different treatments were as follows: Japanese weeds (T1), Creeping nods (T2), and
Cobblers peg (T3).
Results of the study showed no significant differences in all the parameters gathered
in the study as revealed by the statistical analysis. The mean slaughter weight of the rabbits
in the different treatments ranged from (2.08-2.17kg), carcass weight (0.900-0.990kg),
dressing percentage (43.45-47.7%), carcass length (28.00- 28.67cm) and weights of
viscera, full and empty GITs and pelts expressed as percentage of slaughter weight were
22.30-23.785, 6.03-7.91%, and 14.7515.73% respectively.
In the sensory evaluation, the meat samples obtained from the three treatments as
rated by the panel of tasters were all moderately desirable in appearance and likes
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
moderately in aroma. They were all rated also to be moderately tender in tenderness,
moderately juicy in juiciness and moderately good in taste. Lastly, in terms of acceptability
all the meat samples were like moderately by the panel of tasters.
Conclusion
Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that the different garden
weeds namely Japanese weed, Creeping nods and the Cobblers peg had no effect on the
carcass characteristics of the rabbits.
Recommendation
Based on the results of the study, it is recommended that rabbit raisers may use
Japanese weeds, Creeping nods and Cobblers peg as feeds to their rabbits.
Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
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DE LEON, M. V. 1998. Basic Agriculture.A practical Guide for students.Phoenix
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LONGBUAN, K. 2009. Growth Response of rabbit fed with Selected Weeds BSU, La
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MADDUL, S. B. 1991. Lecture Manual on Rabbit Production. BSU, La Trinidad Benguet.
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MOREKI, J.C., 2007. Commercial Rabbit Production, Poultry and Rabbit Selection, Non-
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TEMPLETON, G. S. 1968. Domestic Rabbit Production.The Interstate Printers and
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Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013
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Carcass Characteristics of Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) fed with garden weeds
BAWAYAN, JERRY T. APRIL 2013