Omega Rabbit - Objectives

The Ω RABBIT project intends to achieve the following general and specific objectives:

In line with the aim of developing a newagri-food business model and promotingMediterranean food products, the Projectaims to obtain an innovative product thatcan help improve human health andaddress some of the challenges of theMediterranean area. The Project has thefollowing objectives:

to develop feed based on the integrationof products derived from flax and algaecapable of promoting production (yieldincrease and booster effect on the fixationof n-3 in meat) and reproductive (increasein fertility even in hot climatic conditionsalso linked to “global warming”) of therabbit;
improve the health status of rabbit farmsthrough a better immunological responseand greater resistance to infectiousdiseases, thus leading to a reduction in theuse of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance;
produce a new and innovative functionalfood (Ωrabbit meat) that can be producedby SMEs and connect local agriculturalproducers to urban, national andinternational markets;
develop an innovative packagingmethod, which allows to maintain thequality and extends the shelf-life of Ωrabbitmeat by promoting its marketing in thelocal market and export;
create a new market and a new foodchain (Consortium ΩRABBIT), whichincludes under its own disciplinary and logothe entire food chain that produces Ωrabbitmeat according to the “from the farm tothe fork” principle.

01

To develop a new quality food product – “Ωrabbit meat”

To assess the impact of flax derived products (linen whole plant, linen straw, linseed bran, extruded linseed), with or without algae “Padina pavonica” (PP) and “Chlorella vulgaris” (CV) supplementation on the rabbit meat quality both at nutritional, chemical, physical, and organoleptic levels, and in terms of market acceptability

To increase the consumption of a quality food – the “Ωrabbit meat”, thus contributing to reduce hunger and enforce achieve food security.

To evaluate the impact of flax derived products (linseed bran and extruded linseed) and PP supplementation on animal health (favouring the growth of beneficial microbiota, which in turn, stimulate the immune system and as a consequence the resistance to the gastrointestinal diseases), also contributing to reduce the use of antibiotics in the farms (antibiotic resistance).

To favour the human health reducing the incidence of chronic pathologies especially those linked to an unbalanced n-6/n-3 ratio in the diet and/or blood lipid concentration alterations.

02

To optimise the production model of rabbit meat so as to reinforce the whole value chain both for local and foreign markets

To increase the rabbit reproductive and productive performances also in hot climatic conditions, so as to strengthen the sustainability of the business, in particular for smallholders and the satellite activities in the involved countries.

To increase the quality of the rabbit meat by a high inclusion of n-3 fatty acids in the muscle, producing a new functional food “Ωrabbit meat” that could have beneficial effects for the human health.

To validate an innovative absorbent pad “bacterial catcher” (AP-BC) adapted to rabbit during modified atmosphere packaging of Ωrabbit meat.

To evaluate the effect of the flax derived products and algae supplementation on the shelf life of the Ωrabbit meat, packaged with the new “bacterial catcher” and maintained at refrigeration and freezing temperatures or canned.

03

To increase the competitiveness of small-scale farmers, manufacturers, local distributors and other intermediate actors

To involve key actors (including SMEs, distributors, academia, NGOs, and local research centre) to pooling the knowledge for developing innovative food supply chains and new markets.

To reinforce the cooperation among farmers, breeders and research centres which guarantees the principle “from the field to the fork”, by setting up the ΩRABBIT Consortium

To improve socio-economic conditions such as a monthly salary, gain of the actors involved in the production chain of the omega rabbit and more in general of the partner Countries.