The objective of this study was to use different parts of the Tithonia tubaeformis plant in feed for fattening rabbits and then observe the effects on carcass and meat quality. Forty-eight weaned rabbits (35 days of age) were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 12 by treatment). Animals were fed ad libitum a control diet as well as three experimental diets, with addition of Tithonia tubaeformis leaves, whole plant, and stems. Rabbits were slaughtered after 63 days of age without fasting. Results indicate that live weight (0.917), skin (0.79), feet (6.679), and lumbar circumference of the carcass (0.707) have higher positive correlations with hot carcass. There were no significant differences between treatments for all variables measured, except for kidneys and kidney fat. pH and color values were different among treatments. The results indicate that Tithonia tubaeformis leaves or the whole plant could be added to feed for growing rabbits.

Nowadays, the uncontrolled use of antibiotics has created the problem of bacterial resistance to them, what has motivated the search for new alternatives of drug for the treatment of bacterial diseases. Here, we compare antimicrobial activity of spent substrate of mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus and Lentinula edodes, against Escherichia coli, Salmonella tiphymorium, Staphylococcus aureus and Micrococcus luteus. We designed two mixtures, barley straw to be used as a substrate of cultivation of mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus and oats or cedar for the cultivation of mushroom Lentinula edodes; and were obtained aqueous extracts from spent substrates; extracts were tested for antibacterial activity. The protocol was a completely randomized assay with a factorial arrangement design. The data were analyzed with PROC GLM, SAS. The results showed that in the case of Escherichia coli the greatest inhibition zone was of 12.66 mm at a concentration of 6 mg mL-1, with treatment of Lentinula edodes/Cedar; Salmonella tiphymorium showed a greatest inhibition zone of 31.10 mm to a concentration of 5.12 mg mL-1, with treatment of Pleurotus ostreatus/Barley straw; Staphylococcus aureus showed a greatest inhibition zone of 9.33 mm to a concentration of 100 mg mL-1, with the treatment of Lentinula edodes/Cedar and finaly, Micrococcus luteus showed a greatest inhibition zone of 15.00 mm to a concentration of 50 mg mL-1, with the treatment Lentinula edodes/Oats. In conclusion, the results suggest that it is possible to use indistinctly the spent substrate of Pleurotus ostreatus and Lentinula edodes as source of extracts with antibacterial activity.

Pithecellobium dulce produces a fruit used in alternative medicine that could be utilized to feed rabbits. The objective of this study was to measure the effect of the P. dulce fruit on productive performance, carcass traits, meat characteristics, and meat product quality as well as shelf-life. Seventy-two California × English pot crossbreed rabbits (35 d age) were randomly distributed into two treatments: a control group without P. dulce and another group fed with 5% of P. dulce, and fattening for 28 d. Productive performance parameters, blood biochemistry and hematology, apparent digestibility, carcass traits, meat characteristics, and meat product shelf-life were measured. The results indicate inclusion of 5% P. dulce improves (p < 0.05) dry and organic matter digestibility and feed conversion rate, but some serum blood enzymes were increased (p < 0.05). The a* value, hardness, and pH decreased (p < 0.05) in the group fed with P. dulce. Antioxidant properties in the meatballs were different (p < 0.05), improving shelf-life and acceptance in sensory analysis. In conclusion, the use of 0.5% of P. dulce fruits to feed fattening rabbits can be used to improve the shelf-life of rabbit meat.

Ruta graveolens is a weed that can be used to feed rabbits. The aim of this study was to determine growth performance, carcass and meat quality of rabbits after their dietary supplementation with Ruta graveolens. Sixty (60) weaned rabbits were randomly assigned to five treatments; control diet (C) or diets supplemented either with leaves (25RL or 50RL) or complete plant of Ruta graveolens (25CP or 50CP). The use of Ruta graveolens has a similar (P>0.05) growth performance to the control group and feed conversion rate. Carcass quality was different (P<0.05) among treatments in empty body weight, empty gastrointestinal tract and fat. The pH decreased when Ruta graveolens was used to feed growing rabbits, but meat produced better texture parameters than control group. The results obtained in the present study suggest that Ruta graveolens can be considered as an alternative feed source in the diets of rabbits.

The consumption of insects around the world is increasingly accepted in different cultures, because they are easy to grow, reproduce simply and do not require much maintenance, so they are being proposed as an alternative and viable source of nutrients, not only for pet consumption but also for human consumption, in addition to this great nutritional benefit insects are used as alternative treatments in traditional medicine, to cure or prevent some diseases, including cancer El consumo de insectos alrededor del mundo es cada vez más aceptado en diferentes culturas, debido a que son de fácil cultivo, se reproducen sencillamente y no requieren de mucho mantenimiento, por lo que se están proponiendo como una fuente alternativa y viable de aporte nutricional, no solo para consumo de mascotas sino también para consumo humano, además de este gran beneficio nutricional, los insectos son utilizados como tratamientos alternativos en la medicina tradicional, para curar o prevenir algunas enfermedades, entre ellas el cáncer