The influence of rabbit breeding on their meat productivity

Abstract

The article presents the results of a comparative analysis of slaughter indicators and tasting evaluation of meat of rabbits of different breeds common in Ukraine. The aim of the research was to conduct a comparative assessment of the quality of rabbit meat of the studied breeds. The following methods were used during the research: theoretical analysis, formulation of hypotheses, biometric and statistical methods, assessment of pre-slaughter and slaughter qualities, tasting evaluation. All rabbit carcasses selected for fattening assessment belonged to the first category. It was established that the highest slaughter yield was determined in 4-month-old rabbits of the New Zealand White (56.9±0.96) and Poltava Silver (56.4±0.67) breeds. The largest absolute mass of flesh is possessed by rabbits of the New Zealand White breed - 1604±4.28 g. The Poltava Silver rabbits were somewhat inferior in absolute values - 1459±9.6 g. In terms of meat yield, rabbits of the Poltava Silver breed did not have a significant difference compared to their peers of the New Zealand White breed: 82.9±0.77% versus 83.5±0.45%. However, after slaughter, Poltava Silver rabbits received the smallest share of waste – only 12.8% of live weight. The tasting evaluation of meat samples from 4-month-old rabbits of the New Zealand White, Californian, and Poltava Silver breeds determined that it has high, practically equivalent, organoleptic and tasting characteristics. The meat from rabbits of the New Zealand White (4.7-4.9 points out of 5) and Poltava Silver (4.6-4.7 points out of 5) breeds was tender, juicy, and the most delicious in terms of the highest score after cooking. When evaluating the broth, the lowest score was given to the characteristic such as aroma – 3.6-4.1 points, although all broth from the meat of experimental rabbits had a delicate, refined aroma and taste and good transparency. Therefore, breeding rabbits of the New Zealand White and Poltava Silver breeds ensures high meat qualityThe carcasses of rabbits of this group contained the smallest bone mass, and in terms of meat yield and meatiness coefficient, they were superior to rabbits of the Californian breed by 2.7-3.3%. In the future, it is advisable to conduct research aimed at studying the meat qualities of industrial hybrids obtained from crossing the studied breeds, and to assess the economic efficiency of industrial crossing in farms of various forms of ownership.