The Effect of Ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe) Waste Meal on Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Serum Lipid and Serum Cholesterol Profiles of Rabbitc

Abstract

Six weeks old twenty five growing rabbits of mixed sexes and breeds were used to evaluate the utilization of ginger waste meal (GWM) as energy substitute for maize in the diet of growing rabbits and the effects on growth performance, carcass characteristics, serum lipids and serum cholesterol profiles. Fives diets containing GWM at 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40% levels with the 40% level replacing maize completely were formulated. Five rabbits each were randomly assigned to each of the five diets. Rabbits were housed individually in cages in complete randomization and fed the respective diets and water ad libitum for the 8 weeks of the experiment. Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed among the five dietary treatments with respect to daily feed intake, water consumption, water/feed ratio, total serum lipids and cholesterol levels. The results showed that the inclusion of ginger waste meal in the diet will stimulate increased water consumption and also induce hypocholesterolemic and hypolipidemic effects on the rabbit without negative effects on growth performance.