EFFECTS OF GRADED LEVEL OF CASSAVA LEAF MEAL FED TO GROWER RABBIT ON MEAT QUALITY

The effects of graded level of cassava leaf meal fed to grower rabbit on meat quality were evaluated. A total of Eighteen (18) 4-5 weeks old female rabbits of mixed breeds were used in an 8 weeks feeding trial. The animals were randomly selected and assigned to three treatments each with six rabbits and had three replicates of two rabbits per replicate using Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The proximate composition of cassava leaf meal and rabbit meats including the sensory quality, amino acids, vitamins and mineral contents of the meats were analyzed. Data collected were statistically analyzed using one way analysis of variance. The significantly different means were separated using Least Significant Difference (LSD).The results of feeding cassava leaf meal to grower rabbits showed no significant difference (p>0.05) in the proximate composition, sensory quality and mineral content of the meat across treatments. However, significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in the content of certain amino acids in the meat of grower rabbits fed cassava leaf meal, specifically excluding valine, histidine, lysine, serine, aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and proline. Furthermore, regarding the effect of cassava leaf meal on vitamin content in grower rabbit meat, a significant difference (p<0.05) was observed only in vitamin A whereas vitamins B1, B2, B3, and E showed no significant differences across treatments. Therefore, cassava leaf meal can be used partially in the diet of grower rabbits to reduce costs while maintaining good nutritional and sensory meat quality.