Fatty acid composition of meat and perirenal fat in rabbits from two different rearing systems

To evaluate the effect of different rearing systems and sex on the fatty acid composition of rabbit meat and perirenal fat, the fat content and fatty acid composition of Longissimus lumborum and perirenal fat were determined by gas chromatography on 40 rabbits (20 males and 20 females) of the Carmagnola Grey breed reared from 9 to 16 weeks of age in individual California type cages (0.12 m2) or in group ground pens (0.25 m2/head). Ether extract percentage of muscle was significantly influenced by the housing system while, both sex and rearing method affected the fatty acid composition with a decrease in monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) and an increase in polyunsaturated ones (PUFA) in penned and male rabbits. The same trends were observed in the fatty acid composition of the perirenal fat, gender only had a significant affect on the saturated fatty acid (SFA) content in the perirenal fat. Indices relating to human health showed the PUFA/SFA ratio to be over the minimum recommendation for rabbits reared in pens and for males, while only the n6/n3 ratio was above the maximum recommendation for caged rabbits. Atherogenic index (AI) of perirenal fat was affected by gender, but no differences were observed in trombogenic index (TI) in either muscle or perirenal fat.