Cholesterol level of rabbit meat and trait relationships among growth, carcass and lean yield performances

Data from New Zealand White rabbits (n = 89) were collected on growth, carcass and lean yield traits and on total lipid and cholesterol contents of total carcass lean tissue. Postweaning growth traits included individual 28-d weaning weight, 56-d market weight and average daily gain (28 to 56 d). Carcass yield traits included preslaughter, abdominal fat, giblet, pelt, visceral and carcass weights and dressing percentage; lean yield traits consisted of uncooked lean percentages from forequarter, hindquarter and loin primal cuts, adjusted total lean weight and overall meat to bone ratio. Experimental rabbits were reared under similar environmental conditions of diet, housing and management, were similar in age (range of 4 d) and were all slaughtered on the same day. Analysis of variance results revealed detectable (P less than .05) effects of litter source for all traits examined, except for loin lean percentage, meat to bone ratio and cholesterol content. In a separate analysis, litter size class influenced (P less than .05) the same traits (as the above litter source effect) with the exception of visceral weight and hindquarter lean percentage. Sex of rabbit did not (P greater than .05) have an effect on any carcass measurements. Cholesterol content of uncooked rabbit meat (total ground lean tissue) was 163.6 +/- 3.1 mg/100 g DM. Correlation coefficients were low (r less than .25) in absolute value between total cholesterol content and all other traits investigated. Individual 56-d market weight was related to a number of carcass parameters: dressing percent (r = .60), carcass weight (r = .93) and adjusted total lean weight (r = .89).