ABSTRACT
The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined effect of two dietary lipid sources (sunflower vs. linseed oil) and three packaging methods (PVC film - BAG vs. modified atmosphere CO2 20%â¯+â¯80% O2 - MAP vs. and vacuum - VAC) on the oxidative status and polyunsaturated fatty acid content of rabbit loins (Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle), at days 1, 4 and 10 of simulated retail display. The diet, storage time and packaging method affected the oxidative status of rabbit meat under retail display. As expected, storage time, independently on the other factors, significantly reduced the antioxidant content of loin meat. Accordingly, TBARs values significantly increased during storage, as well as the dietary supplementation of linseed. The fatty acid profile of the fresh loin closely respected that of the diets. At day 10, oxidative status and fatty acid profile of MAP samples could be yet considered optimal.
Subject(s)
Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena , Dietary Fats, Unsaturated/administration & dosage , Food Packaging , Food Quality , Meat/analysis , Muscle, Skeletal/metabolism , Oxidative Stress , Animals , Dietary Fats, Unsaturated/analysis , Fatty Acids, Unsaturated/analysis , Fatty Acids, Unsaturated/metabolism , Food Storage , Humans , Italy , Linseed Oil/administration & dosage , Linseed Oil/metabolism , Lipid Peroxidation , Meat/economics , Muscle, Skeletal/growth & development , Nutritive Value , Rabbits , Selective Breeding , Sunflower Oil/administration & dosage , Sunflower Oil/metabolism , Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances/analysis , VacuumABSTRACT
The combined effect of two dietary lipid sources (sunflower vs linseed oil) and three packaging methods (PVC film - BAG, modified atmosphere CO2 20%â¯+â¯80% O2 - MAP, and vacuum - VAC) on the shelf-life (pH, color, microbial count, sensory traits) of rabbit loins was tested at days 1, 4 and 10 of refrigerated storage. Linseed oil did not adversely affect neither the physical or sensory traits, nor the microbiological quality of rabbit meat throughout the shelf-life trial. The three packaging methods were all similarly effective in maintaining the physical and sensory quality of the meat, irrespective of the different dietary lipid sources and thus different susceptibility to oxidation. MAP and VAC were more effective than BAG in preserving rabbit meat hygienic quality, as highlighted by the microbial count analyzed at day 4 of shelf-life (Pâ¯<â¯0.001). At day 10, the microbiological quality didn't differ between MAP and VAC rabbit meat samples.