Effect of dietary supplementation with natural verbascoside-based extracts on productive performance of White New Zealand Rabbits

The effect of dietary supplementation with natural verbascoside-based extracts on productive and slaughter performance and meat quality of White New Zealand rabbits was assessed. The trial, lasting 90 days, on 45 weaned rabbits 35 days old was conducted. Rabbits were divided into three groups of 15 subjects each, homogeneous to age and body weight. The control group (CON) did not receive the dietary supplement in the feed and the other two groups have received a dietary supplement in the feed, titrated to 0.5% of verbascoside, the extent of 100g/100kg feed in LVB group and 200g/100kg feed in HVB group. Young rabbits were fed ad libitum and reared until the age of slaughter (90d) in weaning-fattening cages, equipped with feeders and automatic drinking water dispensers. Animals during the trial were subjected to following productive surveys: body weight at the start of test (35d), 60d and 90d and body gain, daily food consumption and feed conversion (35-60d and 60-90d). In the slaughter’s period, on rabbits the remark of the gross slaughtering weight, carcass weight, internal organs weight, skin weight, the killing percentage were determined. Some quality meat parameters on the m. longissimus dorsi were carried out: pH (at 0 and 24h), color (at 0 and 24h) and drip loss (after 48h). All variables were analysed by anova using GLM procedure of SPSS (2009). Differences among means were compared using the Scheffé’s test. The integration of natural verbascoside-based extracts in the feed did not produce in rabbits significant improvements in productive performance and meat quality parameters in fact analysed data have not shown statistical differences between the compared groups.