Nutritional value of rabbit meat : a review

Abstract

The nutritional value of rabbit meat was reviewed from 50 publications. For rabbits at commercial slaughtering age and weight, protein (21.0+1.5 % of fresh meat), water (72.5+2.5 % of fresh meat) and total mineral (1.2+0.1 % of fresh meat) contents are relatively stable among studies, and do not require further investigations. Main variations in the lipid contents (5.0+3.3 % of fresh meat) mainly originate from anatomical area and diet and are well described. The sodium content of rabbit meat is low (49 mg/100 g) while phosphorus level is high (277 mg/100 g). Iron (1.4 mg/100 g), copper or selenium contents are not sufficiently established. To our knowledge, the contents of many other trace elements have never been evaluated. The data available seem to indicate that rabbit meat shows a profile in vitamins close to those observed in chickens, but it is necessary to confirm these observations. A cholesterol content of 59 mg/100 g and a ratio omega 6/omega 3 of 5.9 make rabbit meat attractive for health purposes. The fatty acid profile of rabbit meat, which is a monogastric and herbivorous animal, shows a remarkable plasticity to the dietary fatty acid profile.