Estimation of rabbit hind leg muscle weight and muscularity by real time ultras...

• Author(s): Silva, S.R ; Guedes, C.M ; Mourão, J.L ; Venâncio, C ; Pinheiro, V.M
• Date: 2008
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10348/2598
• Origin: Repositório da UTAD
• Subject(s): Rabbit; Carcass; Real-time ultrasonography; Hind leg muscularity
• Document Type: Conference Object
• Language: English

Description

Forty-four New Zealand White x Californian rabbits were used to evaluate the real time ultrasonography (RTU) in assessing hind leg muscle weight and hind leg muscularity. For in vivo muscularity determination animals were scanned over the hind leg using a RTU machine equipped with a 5 MHz probe. The RTU images were taken on hind leg at three positions perpendicular to femur bone. At each position a section of hind leg muscle was analysed and the area of muscles was determined. The muscle volume of the hind leg was calculated by combining the muscle area measurements with the femur length. The weight of hind leg muscle was estimated from this volume of the hind leg and knowing the rabbit muscle density. Information related to hind leg muscle weight and femur length was used for hind leg muscularity. After scanning, animals were weighed, slaughtered and the reference carcass was cut. The right hind leg was dissected and the muscle was weighed and femur length was measured. The hind leg muscularity in carcass was calculated as previously described for RTU measurements. Correlations between the RTU measurements and their corresponding on carcass were determined. The LW varied from 1200 to 3410 g (average 2202 g) and reference carcass weight ranged between 561 and 1940 g (average 1199 g). The correlations between carcass and RTU hind leg muscle weight were high (r from 0.56 to 0.83, P<0.001) and the total hind leg muscle weight was the trait that presented the highest correlation between carcass and RTU measurements (r=0.83; P<0.001). Lower correlation coefficients were found for muscularity (r from 0.15, P> 0.05 to 0.46, P<0.01). Our results show that RTU is able to estimate hind leg muscularity and hind leg muscle weight of rabbits.