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Rabbit meat is one of the most consumed meats throughout the world and is extremely susceptible to spoilage due to its high protein and moisture content. Natural preservatives with antioxidant and antibacterial properties are needed to maintain meat quality and increase its shelf life. This study examined the effect of 1% chitosan (CH), 0.2% rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) essential oil (REO), and their combination on pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) levels, and the microbial profile of rabbit meat stored over 12 days at 4 °C. During this time, changes in appearance, odor, and texture were also noted. The shelf lives of samples treated with only 1% CH coating, or in combination with 0.2% REO, were longer than those of untreated samples. These results showed that samples treated with both CH and REO were still acceptable until the 12th day and resulted in significantly lower meat demerit scores in these treated groups compared with untreated meat. In all groups, the pH, TVB-N, and TBA values increased over time, but these values were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in untreated samples. Microbial analysis results showed that chilled rabbit meat samples treated with combined 1% CH and 0.2% REO reduced Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, and Psychrotrophic counts. The experimental results demonstrated that using CH coating in combination with REO improved the quality of rabbit meat and could be an effective approach to reduce rabbit meat deterioration during chilled storage.
Rabbit meat is one of the most consumed meats throughout the world and is extremely susceptible to spoilage due to its high protein and moisture content. Natural preservatives with antioxidant and antibacterial properties are needed to maintain meat quality and increase its shelf life. This study examined the effect of 1% chitosan (CH), 0.2% rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) essential oil (REO), and their combination on pH, total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) and thiobarbituric acid (TBA) levels, and the microbial profile of rabbit meat stored over 12 days at 4 °C. During this time, changes in appearance, odor, and texture were also noted. The shelf lives of samples treated with only 1% CH coating, or in combination with 0.2% REO, were longer than those of untreated samples. These results showed that samples treated with both CH and REO were still acceptable until the 12th day and resulted in significantly lower meat demerit scores in these treated groups compared with untreated meat. In all groups, the pH, TVB-N, and TBA values increased over time, but these values were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in untreated samples. Microbial analysis results showed that chilled rabbit meat samples treated with combined 1% CH and 0.2% REO reduced Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas, and Psychrotrophic counts. The experimental results demonstrated that using CH coating in combination with REO improved the quality of rabbit meat and could be an effective approach to reduce rabbit meat deterioration during chilled storage.
Staphylococcus aureus in rabbit meat is a consequence of insufficient hygienic handling and improper processing posing a major health hazard. This study was conducted to assess rabbit meat as a potential source of Staphylococcus species, particularly Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Furthermore, the identified S. aureus isolates were tested for the detection of the mecA virulence gene of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and enterotoxin encoding genes (Sea, Seb, Sec, and Sed). A total of 80 samples of different rabbit meat cuts represented by shoulder, ribs, loin, and thigh (20 of each) were collected from various markets of different sanitation levels. The results obtained revealed that the mean counts of Staphylococcus species were 7.40×105 , 7.58×105 , 7.60×105 and 8.29×105 CFU/g in the examined shoulder, ribs, loin and thigh samples, respectively. Out of 17 identified S. aureus isolates, 5 (29.4%) strains were characterized by the presence of the mecA gene. A large proportion of the isolates obtained were resistant to at least three antibiotics. Enterotoxins were evaluated by ELISA. The results showed that three strains isolated from shoulder produced Sea, Seb, and Sec enterotoxins, the strains isolated from ribs failed to produce enterotoxins, while two strains isolated from loin and thigh produced Sea enterotoxin. The presence of S. aureus, especially MRSA strains, in the examined rabbit meat indicates the necessity of enforced application of strict hygienic measurements.
Food security has become especially acute for the population of Ukraine. The quality and safety of rabbit meat depends on the welfare of the animals during production, and the meat productivity is determined by genetic heredity, conditions of keeping, feeding and well-being. Rabbit meat can reduce the dose of internal radiation of the population, because it practically does not accumulate radionuclides. According to our research, the content of 137Cs and 90Sr in the meat of 4-month-old rabbits raised on the territories contaminated with radionuclides as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant was, respectively: 8.8±0.8 Bq/kg and 3.5±0.7 Bq/kg. In older rabbits, the content of 137Cs and 90Sr, respectively, was at the level of: 12.3±1.2 Bq/kg and 8.2±1.5 Bq/kg (according to DR-2006, respectively, 200 Bq/kg and 20 Bq/kg). According to the results of our research, live weight, slaughter weight, weight of muscle tissue and bones, muscularity of carcasses depend on the season, age and breed characteristics. To increase productivity and improve the quality of rabbit meat, it is advisable to use interbreed crossing for the purpose of enriching the heredity of one of the breeds on the basis of two or more. According to the results of our research, the highest slaughter weight (P < 0.01) was found in 4-month-old crossbred rabbits of the first generation (♀ California × ♂ Flanders) and was 56.56±0.20%, while their counterparts it was at the level of 49.65±0.55% of the Californian precocious breed. According to special criteria of meat productivity, crossbred rabbits of the first generation also prevailed over the parent breeds. In particular, their confusion index was 79.82±0.23%, while it was at the level of 77.08±0.08% in Flanders. Therefore, crossbreds of the first generation received maturity from the maternal line, and greater fleshiness is from the paternal line. Rabbit meat can be considered as a highly nutritious, dietary "functional" food that provides all the necessary biologically active substances, practically does not accumulate radionuclides, and therefore has a beneficial effect on human health and is an important reserve in solving food security in Ukraine. Key words: food safety, productive qualities of rabbits, rabbit meat, nutritional properties and biological value, dietary highly nutritious product.
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