Effetto della durata del trasporto premacellazione e dell’altezza delle gabbie sulla qualità della carne di coniglio

A study was conducted to determine the effects of limited journey duration (1 vs. 3 h) and crate height (23 vs. 35 cm) on physiological indicators of animal welfare, slaughtering traits and meat quality using a total of 60 rabbits. The rabbits transported for 3 h exhibited higher live weight loss, while carcass yield was not influenced by journey duration. Transportation of rabbits for 3 h also determined higher ultimate pH values of both L. lumborum muscle (5.69 vs. 5.57; P<0.01) and liver (5.96 vs. 5.90; P<0.05), as well as a darker colour of L. lumborum (55.6 vs. 57.7, P<0.05) in respect with those transported for 1 h. Crate height did not modify carcass yield and overall product quality traits. Finally, physiological parameters (serum corticosterone and lysozime) were not affected by transport conditions.