Effects of Long-Term Supplementation with Brown Seaweeds and Polyphenols in Rabbit on Meat Quality Parameters

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Safe and natural feed supplement are required to enhance animal health and welfare, answering to the agri-food system and consumers’ needs. The research for sustainable feed additives for enhancing rabbit health and meat quality parameters are needed. Plants received considerable consideration as safe feed supplements in animal nutrition. Recent studies indicated that seaweed can be considered a sustainable dietary supplement that improve animals’ health and meat quality parameters. Moreover, plant polyphenols have been studied as antioxidants and cholesterol-lowering agents in meat. No data on the effects of long term dietary supplementation of a mixture composed of brown seaweed and plant polyphenols has been available. For this reason, we decided to test the effects of dietary natural supplements in rabbits, based on performance and meat quality parameters. ABSTRACT: The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of dam and offspring dietary supplementation with a natural feed additive on the growth performance and meat quality parameters of growing rabbits. The growing rabbits are selected from lactating does receiving a control diet (C) or diets supplemented with 0.3% (SP1) and 0.6% (SP2) of feed additive containing brown seaweeds (Laminaria spp.) and plant extracts. In the postweaning phase, the growing rabbits remained in the treatment group defined by their does and the trial lasted 42 days. The average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio were improved in the rabbit fed 0.6% of the natural feed additive. The cholesterol content tended to be lower in Longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle and decrease in Semimembranosus (SM) muscle (in SP2 −41.36% than controls). The α tocopherol and retinol content were enhanced in both muscles of rabbit fed the natural mixture (SP1 and SP2 groups). An improvement of sensory attributes of texture was observed in both muscles from rabbit fed natural mixture. In conclusion, long term supplementation of both lactating does and offspring with the high dosage of brown seaweed and plant polyphenols improves growth performance and enhances meat nutritional and sensory parameters.