Use of aromatic herbs infusions to improve the organoleptic characteristics in rabbit meat

Abstract

Rabbit meat is rich in vitamins, it can be perfectly integrated into a healthy diet, however the factor that influences its consumption is its taste and smell; Many people catalog their aroma as strong, which is unpleasant. To improve the taste and appearance of the rabbit meat, we worked with a group of 25 rabbits of the Dutch and Californian races of approximately 3 months of age and a weight of 2 kg, the drinking water was based on an infusion using 10 g / 2 l of boiling water, these aromatic plants being Cilantro (Coriandrum sativum), Hierbabuena (Mentha spicata linnaeus), Oregano (Origanum vulgare) and Thyme (Thymus vulgaris); As a basic feed, all animals were fed commercially balanced feed for rabbits. Groups of 5 rabbits were used for each of the mentioned plants and a control group. They underwent a clinical examination at the end of the experiment, which showed no signs of illness. At the end of forty days after the experiment, the results were obtained: treatment of cilantro with a weight of 13.60 kg, oregano 11.83 kg; peppermint 11.40 kg, thyme 10 kg and the control treatment 10 kg. The rabbits were slaughtered, the meat was cooked only “steamed” (165oC), in a time of 50 minutes. To check if the experiment worked, ten tasters were invited to qualify directly if the meat had any specific flavor. The data that was obtained in the panel of tasters was analyzed statistically by means of blocks at random with the Infostat program. Obtaining result with no significant difference, (p≤0.05). With the means of each treatment, the Tukey test was applied where the following results were obtained: according to the presentation, odor, flavor and texture variable, the most acceptable by the panel of tasters was the treatment evaluated with the aromatic herb of Thyme. The conclusion was that the rabbits that were treated with thyme turned white which is normal to a grayish color, being soft and of good consistency; being the most preferred. The cilantro did not change its coloration or the consistency of the meat but if the taste, as for the meat treated with oregano and mint, the change was observed in the tenderness, there was a change in yellowish color but harder than the normal flavored and nice smell.