Effect of weaning age upon the slaughter and physicochemical traits of rabbit meat/Ucinak dobi odbijanja od sise na klaonicka i fizikalnokemijska svojstva kunicjega mesa

The effect of the weaning age of rabbits on slaughter traits and physicochemical properties of meat was investigated. Sixteen New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) were used, divided in two groups: group A (n = 8) - weaned at the age of 21 days (early weaned) and group B (n = 8) - weaned at the age of 35 days (normally weaned). The animals were fed with two categories of pelleted feed: for weaned rabbits up to 50 days of age and for growing rabbits older than 50 days of age. It was established that the early weaning of rabbits resulted in a statistically significantly lower body mass, dressed carcass weight and dressing percentage as compared to normally weaned animals. Also, the pH of meat by the 24th hour after slaughtering and the dry matter of m. longissimus lumborum (LL) were significantly lower in group A. Simultaneously, a statistically significantly higher water-holding capacity, water content and lightness were established in the meat of early weaned compared to normally weaned rabbits. The protein and fat contents of LL and m. semimembranosus (SM) in rabbits from group A correlated negatively and significantly with water content, and positively with the dry matter. In group B, water content also correlated significantly and negatively with protein content. Fat and ash in SM meat was in a positive statistically significant relationship for both experimental groups. The results from the present study showed that the weaning age influenced both the slaughter traits and physicochemical properties of rabbit meat. Key words: early weaned rabbits, body mass, dressing percentage, physicochemical properties, meat Istrazen je ucinak dobi odbijanja od sise kunica na klaonicka i fizikalnokemijska svojstva njihova mesa. Sesnaest novozelandskih bijelih kunica (Oryctolagus cuniculus) bilo je podijeljeno na dvije skuppne: skupnu A (n = 8) - odbijenu u dobi od 21 dan (rano odbijanje) i skupnu B (n = 8) - odbijenu u dobi od 35 dana (normalno odbijanje). Kunici so bili hranjeni dvjema kategorijama peletirane hrane: za odbijene kunice do dobi od 50 dana to za tovljene kunke starije od 50 dana. Ustanovljeno je da rano odbijanje dovodi do statisticki znacajno manje tjelesne mase, manje mase obradenog mesa i manjeg postotka obradivanja u usporedbi s normalno odbijenim kunicima. Vrijednosti pH mesa 24 sata nakon klanja i suhe tvari najduzeg ledoog misica bile so znacajno manje u skupini A. Istodobno je statisticki znacajno veci kapacitet zadrzavanja vode i v