Effects of tomato pomace supplementation on carcass characteristics and meat quality of fattening rabbits

The aim of this study was to determine how a feeding plan characterized by different levels of tomato pomace
(TP) supplementation influences the carcass characteristics, the chemical, physical and sensorial characteristics
of rabbit meat. 144 weaned crossbred rabbits were divided into three groups of 48 each. The first group
was fed a basal diet without TP, while the other two groups were fed the basal diet after replacing part of the
diet with TP at 3% and 6%, respectively. There was a significant difference between the experimental groups
in terms of live and carcass weights. The meat of rabbits fed on a 6% TP diet exhibited higher yellowness (b*)
and Chroma values when compared to others. The saturated fatty acid content in the longissimus dorsi muscle
and perirenal fat decreased significantly with increasing TP inclusion, while polyunsaturated fatty acids increased.
Furthermore, our results indicate that a diet integrated with 6% TP could influence positively the
overall preference of cooked meat.