Response of Fattening Rabbits with Acorns (Quercus pubescens Willd.) Combined in the Diet: First Acquaintances on Growth Performance, Carcass Traits and Perirenal Fatty Acid Profile

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Consumption of rabbit meat has increased markedly over the last 50 years. This trend appears to be a driving force behind modern farming practices, in particular of rabbit feeding, more and more oriented to fulfil consumers’ demand of sustainable, welfare and health-friendly and low-impact animal production. In this context, the deployment of alternative feeding sources with particular biological properties in the production of feed for meat-producing animals is worthy of being investigated. This trial explored the effect of the combination of acorns as a whole ingredient in the diet of fattening rabbits with the aim to acquire pioneering information on the production and health parameters, in view of the potential effects of the diet on growth, carcass wear and fatty acid composition of perirenal fat. ABSTRACT: The request for functional and healthy meat presents a challenge to modern animal nutritionists and rabbit meat consumption appears to increase alongside the aging population. Novel functional feeds for food-producing animals gather the interest of the scientific community and acorns appear frequently accounted among non-competitive-with-human feeding sources, above all in slow food production systems. This investigation aimed to assess the response to acorns combined in the diet of 40 fattening rabbits, in respect of growth performance, carcass characteristics and fatty acids composition in perirenal fat. A same commercial fattening diet combined or not with shredded acorns (control, CON = 0 vs. acorn combined diet, ACD = 200 g/kg feed as fed weight, respectively) was administered for six weeks to two groups of Separator rabbits, consisting of 20 animals each. No differences in feed conversion, carcass weight at slaughter and carcass yields (24 h) were found between groups at the end of the experimental feeding. Perirenal fat profile of rabbits from the ACD group pointed to significant differences in ΣPUFA content (25.1 vs. 31.6, as a percentage of total lipids, respectively, p < 0.001) and in the Σ n − 6/n − 3 ratio (5.95 vs. 2.41). In conclusion, acorns can be used as an energy source in mixed feeds for rabbits, especially in slow production systems.