The influence of diet supplementation with oat hay and whole carrot on the composition of rabbit meat lipid fraction

Reducing feeding costs without compromising rabbit health, productivity, and meat quality is essential to increase the competitiveness of rabbit meat. This study tested the hypothesis that supplementing rabbits' diet with oat hay and whole carrots, either singly or in combination, does not affect the composition and nutritional quality of the meat's lipid fraction. Eighty rabbits were divided into four groups: control (CC, fed concentrate feed exclusively), CT (whole carrot supplementation), OH (oat hay supplementation), and CO (whole carrot and oat hay). In the CC group, concentrate feed supplied 66.0 g/rabbit of total fat, decreasing by 22.8 % and 22.6 % with carrot or oat hay supplementation alone, and by 39.2 % when both were combined. Conversely, supplementation added 6.14, 18.96, and 25.1 g/rabbit of total fat in the CT, OH, and CO groups, respectively. The longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) muscles used in this trial were sampled following complete processing of the rabbits, and their fatty acid profile remained mostly unchanged. Oat hay supplementation increased the proportion of odd-numbered and branched-chain fatty acids plus the C18 biohydrogenation intermediates (P = 0.024) and reduced the contents of total cholesterol by 26.5 % (P = 0.003) and total vitamin E by 56.3 % (P < 0.001). Additionally, CO supplementation improved the n-3 PUFA percentage and decreased the n-6/n-3 ratio in the LTL muscles. In conclusion, oat hay and carrot supplementation induced minor lipid profile changes but showed potential nutritional benefits, such as lower cholesterol and improved fatty acid balance. However, the supplementation strategies tested reduced total vitamin E contents in rabbit meat, potentially reducing oxidative stability.