Sugar-beet pulp as an alternative ingredient of barley in rabbit diets and its effect on rabbit meat

The effects of rabbit diets with four different levels of barley and sugar-beet pulp on the dressing percentage, chemical and fatty acid composition of meat from rabbits slaughtered at a liveweight of 2000 and 2500 g have been studied. Results revealed detectable (P < 0·05) effects of the total substitution of barley by sugar-beet pulp for carcass weight, dressing percentage and dry matter from animals slaughtered at a liveweight of 2000 g. No significant differences (P > 0·05) among batches were observed when slaughter weight was 2500 g. No influence of the diet on the total lipid fatty acids was found. In general, similar results were found when rabbit diets were formulated with 50% barley and 0% sugar-beet pulp, 30% barley and 0% sugar-beet pulp or 15% barley and 15% sugar-beet pulp.