Improvement of color and lipid stability of rabbit meat by dietary supplementation with vitamin E

The effects of vitamin E (all-rac-alpha-tocopheryl acetate) supplementation on meat color and oxidative stability of muscle lipids in New Zealand White rabbits was determined. Twenty animals received pelleted diet (containing 60 mg/kg alpha-tocopheryl acetate) and 10 of these (treatment group) received drinking water containing 100 mg alpha-tocopheryl acetate/L for 15 days before slaughter. The alpha-tocopherol content of the longissimus lumborum muscle (LL) was higher (5.66 vs 1.65 mu g/g) in the supplemented group than the control group (p < 0.001). The surface redness (a*) of the muscle showed a significant time x treatment effect (p < 0.001), decreasing more in the control group over 11 days of storage in the dark at +2.5 degrees C. The lightness (L*) showed a tendency (p = 0.06) for a treatment x time effect. No effect of vitamin supplementation was observed on yellowness (b*). Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in muscle, an index of oxidative stability, were lower in the treated than control group throughout storage (p < 0.01 for treatment effect). Vitamin E supplementation appears to be an effective way to improve the color and lipid stability of rabbit meat. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.