Abstract
The study aimed to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation with pumpkin seed cake (Cucurbita pepo L.) on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and muscle fiber composition of Popielno 60 Popielno White rabbits (28 males and 32 females), all 35 days old at the start of the experiment, were randomly assigned to three dietary groups: a control group (C) fed a standard pelleted diet containing 13% soybean meal after extraction; experimental group 1 (E1) fed a diet containing 5% pumpkin seed cake and 6.5% soybean meal; and experimental group 2 (E2) fed 10% pumpkin seed cake without soybean meal. The rabbits were reared under standard commercial conditions and slaughtered at 90 days of age. The study found that while the addition of pumpkin seed cake influenced body weight gains at specific rearing stages, it did not significantly affect final body weight or feed conversion efficiency. Slaughter analysis revealed no significant differences in carcass traits. Meat quality evaluation demonstrated that pumpkin seed cake significantly influenced pH values, shear force, and meat texture. The highest pH values were observed in the control group, while the addition of pumpkin seed cake improved meat tenderness and cohesiveness. Colour analysis revealed higher redness (a*) in the biceps femoris muscle of group E1 compared to E2. In conclusion, pumpkin seed cake can be used as a partial replacement for soybean meal in rabbit diets without negatively affecting growth performance or carcass traits. Additionally, it improves certain meat quality parameters, such as tenderness and cohesiveness, making it a promising feed ingredient for enhancing the technological quality of rabbit meat