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    <front>
        <journal-meta>
            <journal-id journal-id-type="publisher-id">VETZOO</journal-id>
            <journal-title-group>
                <journal-title>Veterinarija ir Zootechnika</journal-title>
            </journal-title-group>
            <issn pub-type="epub">2669-2511</issn>
            <issn pub-type="ppub">1392-2130</issn>
            <issn-l>2669-2511</issn-l>
            <publisher>
                <publisher-name>Veterinarija ir Zootechnika</publisher-name>
                <publisher-loc>Tilžės str. 18, Kaunas, LT-47181, Lithuania</publisher-loc>
            </publisher>
        </journal-meta>
        <article-meta>
            <article-id pub-id-type="publisher-id">VETZOO1250</article-id>
            <article-categories>
                <subj-group subj-group-type="heading">
                    <subject>Article</subject>
                </subj-group>
            </article-categories>
            <title-group>
                <article-title>Linseed Cake in Rabbit Nutrition: Evaluation of Animal Welfare, Livestock Performances and Meat Quality</article-title>
            </title-group>
            <abstract>
                <p>A total of 66 post-weaned rabbits (35th day of age meat line M91 a P91 hybrid) were randomly divided into 3 groups for fattening experiment, kept in standard metal cages with two animals per cage. Rabbits were fed with commercial diet (control group, CG), or supplemented with 5% of agricultural by-products linseed cake (EG1), or supplemented with 10% linseed cake (EG2). The experiment lasted 42 days, until the animals attained the slaughtering weight ≈2.5 kg. Individual blood was sampled from a total of 30 rabbits, and five animals from each group were slaughtered at the end of experiment, for the evaluation of animal welfare and meat quality. Feeding of linseed cake substances in rabbits did not negatively influence zootechnical parameters, growth performance and slaughter traits; it had no negative effect on rabbit’s blood biochemical profile either. Experimental diets with 5% linseed cake improved feed conversion ratios, without significantly impacting the final weight of animals. The dietary supplementation positively influenced the meat fatty acids profile, in particular polyunsaturated fatty acids (linoleic acid and CLA), indicating enhanced nutritional quality of the meat as a functional food. Overall, the use of linseed cake, a sustainable agricultural by-product, is a promising dietary strategy to improve the nutritional value of rabbit meat and support efficient, welfare-conscious rabbit production.</p>
            </abstract>
            <kwd-group>
                <label>Keywords</label>
                <kwd>rabbit</kwd>
                <kwd>meat quality</kwd>
                <kwd>functional product</kwd>
                <kwd>flaxseed</kwd>
                <kwd>feed additive.</kwd>
            </kwd-group>
            <contrib-group>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Vizzarri</surname>
                        <given-names>Francesco</given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:francesco.vizzarri@nppc.sk">francesco.vizzarri@nppc.sk</email>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid"/>
                    <xref ref-type="aff" rid="0ca24410-6af3-4ee4-8c3d-a6a903867152"/>
                    <xref ref-type="corresp" rid="cor2">*</xref>
                </contrib>
                <aff id="0ca24410-6af3-4ee4-8c3d-a6a903867152"/>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Formelova</surname>
                        <given-names>Zuzana </given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:zuzana.formelova@nppc.sk">zuzana.formelova@nppc.sk</email>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid"/>
                    <xref ref-type="aff" rid="da0953eb-4646-45f7-89bf-de783b495011"/>
                </contrib>
                <aff id="da0953eb-4646-45f7-89bf-de783b495011">
                    <institution>National Agricultural and Food Centre, Research Institute for Animal Production</institution>
                    <city>Nitra</city>
                    <country>Slovak Republic</country>
                    <addr-line>Hlohovecká 2</addr-line>
                    <post>951 41</post>
                </aff>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Chrastinová</surname>
                        <given-names>Ľubica </given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:lubica.chrastinova@nppc.sk">lubica.chrastinova@nppc.sk</email>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid"/>
                    <xref ref-type="aff" rid="22018195-a125-4c6a-90a2-fe751d778d26"/>
                </contrib>
                <aff id="22018195-a125-4c6a-90a2-fe751d778d26">
                    <institution>National Agricultural and Food Centre, Research Institute for Animal Production </institution>
                    <city>Nitra</city>
                    <country>Slovak Republic</country>
                    <addr-line>Hlohovecká 2</addr-line>
                    <post>951 41</post>
                </aff>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Polačiková</surname>
                        <given-names>Mária </given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:maria.polacikova@nppc.sk">maria.polacikova@nppc.sk</email>
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                <aff id="7f94b630-fd89-40c7-872e-0f2bebf5bfdd">
                    <institution>National Agricultural and Food Centre, Research Institute for Animal Production</institution>
                    <city>Nitra</city>
                    <country>Slovak Republic</country>
                    <addr-line>Hlohovecká 2</addr-line>
                    <post>951 41</post>
                </aff>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Rajský</surname>
                        <given-names>Matúš </given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:matus.rajsky@nppc.sk">matus.rajsky@nppc.sk</email>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid"/>
                    <xref ref-type="aff" rid="716dbe66-e0dc-436a-a6d5-c80fbe3c2c4a"/>
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                <aff id="716dbe66-e0dc-436a-a6d5-c80fbe3c2c4a">
                    <institution>National Agricultural and Food Centre, Research Institute for Animal Production </institution>
                    <city>Nitra</city>
                    <country>Slovak Republic</country>
                    <addr-line>Hlohovecká 2, </addr-line>
                    <post>951 41</post>
                </aff>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Chrenková</surname>
                        <given-names>Mária </given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:maria.chrenkova@nppc.sk">maria.chrenkova@nppc.sk</email>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid"/>
                    <xref ref-type="aff" rid="b34d278b-6b17-4a21-bab3-4c851b8626af"/>
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                <aff id="b34d278b-6b17-4a21-bab3-4c851b8626af">
                    <institution>National Agricultural and Food Centre, Research Institute for Animal Production </institution>
                    <city>Nitra</city>
                    <country>Slovak Republic</country>
                    <addr-line>Hlohovecká 2</addr-line>
                    <post>951 41</post>
                </aff>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Mlyneková</surname>
                        <given-names>Zuzana </given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:zuzana.mlynekova@nppc.sk">zuzana.mlynekova@nppc.sk</email>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid"/>
                    <xref ref-type="aff" rid="3c262408-40fc-4532-bd26-81ae10be869b"/>
                </contrib>
                <aff id="3c262408-40fc-4532-bd26-81ae10be869b">
                    <institution>National Agricultural and Food Centre, Research Institute for Animal Production </institution>
                    <city>Nitra</city>
                    <country>Slovak Republic</country>
                    <addr-line>Hlohovecká 2</addr-line>
                    <post>951 41</post>
                </aff>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Kalafová</surname>
                        <given-names>Anna </given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:anna.kalafova@uniag.sk">anna.kalafova@uniag.sk</email>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid"/>
                    <xref ref-type="aff" rid="3736a8cf-ea5b-49e9-9370-c6a6b0a9d619"/>
                </contrib>
                <aff id="3736a8cf-ea5b-49e9-9370-c6a6b0a9d619">
                    <institution>Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra</institution>
                    <city>Nitra</city>
                    <country>Slovak Republic</country>
                    <addr-line>Trieda Andreja Hlinku 2</addr-line>
                    <post>949 76 </post>
                </aff>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Bučko</surname>
                        <given-names>Ondřej </given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:ondrej.bucko@uniag.sk">ondrej.bucko@uniag.sk</email>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid"/>
                    <xref ref-type="aff" rid="68e41119-bfe9-4244-bd4c-8e28ed529867"/>
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                <aff id="68e41119-bfe9-4244-bd4c-8e28ed529867">
                    <institution>Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, </institution>
                    <city>Nitra</city>
                    <country>Slovak Republic</country>
                    <addr-line>Trieda Andreja Hlinku 2</addr-line>
                    <post>949 76</post>
                </aff>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Baxa</surname>
                        <given-names>Stanislav </given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:stanislav.baxa@nppc.sk">stanislav.baxa@nppc.sk</email>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid"/>
                    <xref ref-type="aff" rid="0b332c5f-c4c8-4bd1-962b-21c8339c68bd"/>
                </contrib>
                <aff id="0b332c5f-c4c8-4bd1-962b-21c8339c68bd">
                    <institution>National Agricultural and Food Centre, Food Research Institute </institution>
                    <city>Bratislava</city>
                    <country>Slovak Republic</country>
                    <addr-line>Hlohovecká 2</addr-line>
                    <post>951 41</post>
                </aff>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Ondruška</surname>
                        <given-names>Ľubomír </given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:lubomir.ondruska@nppc.sk">lubomir.ondruska@nppc.sk</email>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid"/>
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                <aff id="293c320e-2b4b-4558-8a7d-caf1639c8773">
                    <institution>National Agricultural and Food Centre, Research Institute for Animal Production</institution>
                    <city>Nitra</city>
                    <country>Slovak Republic</country>
                    <addr-line>Hlohovecká 2</addr-line>
                    <post>951 41</post>
                </aff>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Jurčík</surname>
                        <given-names>Rastislav </given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:rastislav.jurcik@nppc.sk">rastislav.jurcik@nppc.sk</email>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid"/>
                    <xref ref-type="aff" rid="323d8969-e144-4f9a-9c19-fc6585360053"/>
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                <aff id="323d8969-e144-4f9a-9c19-fc6585360053">
                    <institution>National Agricultural and Food Centre, Research Institute for Animal Production </institution>
                    <city>Nitra</city>
                    <country>Slovak Republic</country>
                    <addr-line>Hlohovecká 2</addr-line>
                    <post>951 41</post>
                </aff>
                <contrib contrib-type="author">
                    <name>
                        <surname>Kišová</surname>
                        <given-names>Aneta </given-names>
                    </name>
                    <email xlink:href="mailto:xlelakova@uniag.sk">xlelakova@uniag.sk</email>
                    <contrib-id contrib-id-type="orcid"/>
                    <xref ref-type="aff" rid="e8255e9e-7aa6-4e1e-ac1b-808614a14595"/>
                </contrib>
                <aff id="e8255e9e-7aa6-4e1e-ac1b-808614a14595">
                    <institution>Slovak University of Agriculture</institution>
                    <city>Nitra</city>
                    <country>Slovak Republic</country>
                    <addr-line>Trieda Andreja Hlinku 2</addr-line>
                    <post>949 76</post>
                </aff>
            </contrib-group>
            <history>
                <date date-type="received">
                    <day>03</day>
                    <month>06</month>
                    <year>2025</year>
                </date>
                <date date-type="rev-recd">
                    <day>29</day>
                    <month>07</month>
                    <year>2025</year>
                </date>
                <date date-type="accepted">
                    <day>29</day>
                    <month>07</month>
                    <year>2025</year>
                </date>
            </history>
            <permissions>
                <license license-type="openAccess" xlink:href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">
                    <license-p>Open access article under the CC BY license</license-p>
                </license>
            </permissions>
            <article-id pub-id-type="doi">251111</article-id>
            <fpage>1</fpage>
            <lpage>8</lpage>
            <issue-title content-type="ISSUE">Volumes 83, Issues 1, (2025): Veterinarija ir Zootechnika</issue-title>
            <volume>83</volume>
            <issue>1</issue>
            <pub-date iso-8601-date="2026-01-15"/>
            <pub-date pub-type="ppub">
                <year>2025</year>
            </pub-date>
        </article-meta>
    </front>
</article>
