Plant extracts and essential oil product as feed additives to control rabbit meat microbial quality.

The present work evaluated the effects of feed supplementation with plant extracts (onion, cranberry) and a commercial essential oil product (Xtract™) on rabbit meat quality. Five groups of 48 weaned Grimaud female rabbits each received a control ration (C) or a diet supplemented with onion extract (500 or 1000 ppm), cranberry extracts (500 ppm) and essential oil product (100 ppm) alone or in combination. Microbiological quality was evaluated on whole hind legs stored under aerobic and anaerobic conditions at 4 °C. Growth performances, feed intake and both meat composition and quality were similar amongst the experimental groups. Anyhow, meat total phenolic content was significantly higher in all supplemented ones (P < 0.001). Diet supplementation effect was observed (P < 0.05) and microbial control was improved more importantly under anaerobic conditions, notably for Total Aerobic Mesophilic counts, presumptive Pseudomonas and Enterobacteriaceae (P < 0.03). Overall, supplementation with onion extract (500 ppm) suppressed microbial growth more effectively.