Effect of the addition of aqueous extract of garlic (Allium sativum) to the diet of rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) on the productivity and on the physical and microbiological quality of the meat

Garlic (Allium sativum), as a natural antimicrobial, has favored animal welfare, as well as the safety and quality of the meat. The objective of this study was to assess the production indicators and the physical and microbiological quality of the meat of rabbits fattened with the addition of aqueous extract of garlic (AEG) to their diet. A completely randomized design was carried out with three treatments of 28 New Zealand rabbits X Chinchilla (Oryctolagus cuniculus X Chinchilla chinchilla) each (LW 1 +/- 0.6 kg, 30 +/- 5 d); control group (food only), treatment 1 (0.9% AEG) and treatment 2 (1.8% AEG, sprinkled on the food every 3 d). Daily weight gain and food conversion were determined to occur during four weeks after weaning. Aerobic mesophiles, fecal coliforms, and psychrophiles were quantified in the meat, and the pH and color (B*, a* and b*) were determined, all in Longissimus dorsi, at 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 d of storage in refrigeration. A multivariate variance analysis (P <= 0.05) and a Tukey test at 5 % were performed for the production indicators and the physical and microbiological variables. Unlike in psychrophiles and mesophiles, there were no significant differences (P >= 0.05) in the production indicators throughout the time of conservation. No fecal coliforms were observed in any of the samples. The addition 1.8% of aqueous extract of garlic improved the shelf life by two days (total: 9 d) by reducing the content of psyschrophiles, without affecting the production indicators or the physical quality of the meat.