AUTHOR=Radwan Mohamed A. , Maggiolino Aristide , Hassanien Hanan A. M. , Palo Pasquale D. , El-Kassas Nabila E. M. , Abbas Hassan S. , Salem Abdelfattah Z. M. 

TITLE=Dietary utilization of mealworm frass in rabbit feeding regimes and its effect on growth, carcass characteristics, and meat quality

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Veterinary Science

VOLUME=Volume 10 - 2023

YEAR=2023

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/veterinary-science/articles/10.3389/fvets.2023.1069447

DOI=10.3389/fvets.2023.1069447

ISSN=2297-1769

ABSTRACT=The study aimed to shed light on the use of mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) frass (TMF) meal inclusion in rabbit diets and its effects on growth performance, blood profiles, rabbit meat quality, and fatty acid profiles of meat. A total of 48 mountain rabbits were divided equally randomly into four groups to feed four dietary treatments: a control (T0) group and three TMF groups, which included TMF meal at 1 (T1), 2 (T2), and 3 (T3) %, respectively. The rabbits were fed on isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets for 11 weeks, and the growth performance data were recorded. Six rabbits per group were slaughtered at the end of the 11th week, and the pharmacochemical parameters and the carcass traits were measured, and meat quality as well as fatty acid profiles were analyzed. The results indicated that the growth performance of different groups was similar (P>0.05). The levels of globulin, glucose and alanine transaminase (ALT) were lower in mealworm frass groups compared with the control group. The carcass traits didn't affect by experimental regimes. Fat was higher in treatment groups while moisture was lower compared with the control group. The shear force had a lower value in the treatment groups (T2 and T3) compared with the control group. The highest values of the redness and chroma (color parameter) of rabbit meat were observed in the treatment groups vs. the control group. Moreover, the proportion of total saturated fatty acids in the meat of rabbits that were fed on the T2 and T3 diets was higher compared to those fed on the control (i.e., T0) and T1 diets. Moreover, the proportion of the monounsaturated fatty acid was higher in the T2, T3, and T1 groups versus T0 rabbits, whereas the PUFA proportions were lower. It could be concluded that frass could have great potential to be used as a partial substitute for the rabbit diet.