Effect of Two Different Stunning Methods on the Quality Traits of Rabbit Meat

SIMPLE SUMMARY: According to consumer opinion, poor welfare leads to lower quality animal products. The stunning method plays a very important role as far as animal welfare, meat quality, and public health are concerned. The aim of the presented study was to assess the effect of two different stunning methods on the blood stress indicators and the quality of rabbit meat. The underlying goal was to improve the welfare of rabbits at the time of slaughter. The study was conducted on a commercial rabbit farm in Poland. The hybrids used in this study were obtained crossing Hyplus PS19 females with Hycole males (genotype I) and Jordan × Hycole females with Hyla males (genotype II). According to the presented findings, the genotype groups of rabbits differed in meat performance, but the differences in meat quality were minor. The examination of the blood stress biomarkers showed that both stunning methods are optimal when taking the welfare of rabbits into consideration. The presented research revealed some differences in the physiochemical traits of meat, with only slight differences between genotypes and stunning methods. ABSTRACT: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of two different stunning methods on the level of blood stress indicators (cortisol, insulin, glucose) and rabbit meat quality. The experiment was conducted on crossbreds of Hycole, Hyla, and Jordan rabbit strains: from mating Hyplus PS19 females with Hycole males (genotype I, n = 20) and Jordan × Hycole females with Hyla males (genotype II, n = 20). Prior to slaughter, the animals were weighed and divided into two groups according to the stunning method: 10 rabbits from each genetic group were stunned with an electric stunner, and the remaining 10 were stunned mechanically using a club. Genotype II was characterised by higher body weight at slaughter (p < 0.05), hot dressing percentage (p < 0.05), cold dressing percentage (p < 0.05), hot carcass weight (p < 0.05), and cold carcass weight (p < 0.05), compared to genotype I. The stunning method slightly influenced the meat lightness (p = 0.035). The meat of electrically stunned rabbits was characterised with higher drip loss (p < 0.0001) and lower plasticity (p = 0.043). Among the analysed traits of meat, only the drip loss (p = 0.014) and the percentage of extractable fat were affected by genotype (p = 0.044). Neither the stunning method nor the genotype affected rabbit meat texture characteristics. The study was undertaken because of the increasing importance of rabbit meat production as a developing sector of the meat industry and the need to improve the welfare of rabbits by selecting the most acceptable slaughter methods for these animals. To conclude, the analysed rabbit meat was characterised with good quality. There were only slight differences between genotypes and the stunning groups.