Rabbit Dietary Supplementation with Echinacea purpurea L.: The Quality Profile of Rabbit Meat

Introduction. Rabbit meat is an excellent source of dietetic food. High-quality and safe meat production is a priority of the scientific and technological development of the Russian Federation. The research objective was to determine the optimal dose of Echinacea purpurea L. extract in the rabbit diet and study its effect on the physicochemical and morphological quality parameters of rabbit meat. Study objects and methods. At 70 days of age, the experimental animals started to receive various doses of a phytobiotic feed additive based on the Echinacea purpurea extract. The experiment lasted 30 days. Results and discussion. The daily dose of 1.0 g and 1.5 g per animal proved to stimulate the redox processes in the rabbit metabolism. The body weight of the test animals significantly increased compared with the control group. The test slaughter revealed a high level of meat productivity. The animals in experimental groups II and III showed the best slaughter indicators. Each animal received 1.5 g of the extract per day. The morphological composition of chilled carcass indicated that the additive had a positive effect on the mass indicators. According to the physical and chemical analysis, the contents of water, protein, and ash in the experimental group was the same as in the control group. The ratio of unsaturated and saturated fatty acids in the control group was 1.34:1, while in the experimental group III is was 1.39:1. This optimal proportion proved a high biological value of rabbit meat, which makes it a dietary product. The phytobiotic additive proved commercial as the test animals demonstrated an intensive weight gain compared with the control group. Experimental groups II and III showed the best slaughter indicators. Conclusion. 1.5 g of the extract of Echinacea purpurea had a positive effect on the composition and physicochemical parameters of rabbit meat, as well as meat production.