Desempenho e características qualitativas da carne de coelhos alimentados com dietas contendo aditivos

Abstract

This work evaluated the use of different additives as a growth promoter in diets of rabbits. Measurements of feed intake, productive performance and carcass traits were carried out. Twenty four New Zealand White rabbits 60-days old were randomly and individually distributed in cages at the Department of Zootechnics at UFGD, Unit II, Dourados, MS. The treatments were: 1) Control (CON), diets without additives; 2) Chitosan (CHI); 3) Probiotic (PRO). The diet was fed to the animals for 45 days, comprising 3 periods of 15 days, with 10 days of adaptation and 5 days for data collection. At the end of the experimental period, the animals were euthanized to perform the carcass analysis and classification. A completely randomized design with 8 replicates per treatment was used in a level of significance of 5%. A significant effect was found in the contrast between the control and the additives (C1 - control versus additives) on the average daily gain, total weight gain and feed conversion, however no significant effect was detected in the initial and the final weights, in the average daily intake and the total intake, in both contrasts, C1 and C2 (probiotic vs chitosan). In the carcass characteristics (warm carcass weight and warm carcass yield) there was also no significant effect. In the instrumental evaluation of the carcasses there was a significant effect in relation to the cooking loss, in the C1 and C2, where the control diet lost less water than the diets with additives. In the C2, the probiotic promoted greater weight loss by baking in relation to the diet containing chitosan. No significant effect was detected in the chemical composition of the meat, the amount of dry matter and ash. Presenting a significant effect on contrast C2 in crude protein and ethereal extract, where the diet with probiotic promoted a better performance than the chitosan. Thus, it is concluded that both probiotic and chitosan can be included in diets of growing rabbits, since feed conversion was improved. The reported changes in meat quality do not interfere negatively, neither cause a depreciation of the product.