Nutritional interventions in improvement of Rabbit meat quality: An overview

Consumer oriented demands in meat quality have motivated the meat producers to concentrate on the nutritional aspects of livestock rearing. The meat quality attributes are affected by the quantity and quality feed and fodder. The close relationship between diet and health has lead to changes in consumer habits, demanding products that meet their dietary and nutritional preferences. Rabbit meat is highly valued for its nutritional and dietary properties, it is a lean meat with a low-fat content and less saturated fatty acids and cholesterol than other meats. A short description of the nutritional value of rabbit meat is provided and the role of rabbit meat as a functional food is discussed. Rabbit meat consumption could improve bioactive compounds to human consumers, since manipulation of rabbit's diet is very effective in increasing the levels of ω3 PUFA, CLA or Vitamin E. An overview of the possibilities to incorporate these bioactive compounds in rabbit meat is discussed.