The consumer evaluation consisted of 48 panellists, 33 males and 15
females, ranging in age from 21 to 60 years. Although the AMSA (1995)
recommends a consumer panel size of at least 50 individuals, limitations
in product sample size did not allow for this. Panellists were untrained
students and staff members recruited fromthe campus of the University
of Torino, and of the Italian National Research Council of Torino. All were
already involved in surveys on rabbit preference/acceptability tests and
were regular consumers of rabbit meat. The entire LD muscles fromrabbits
of the three groups were simultaneously cooked without salt or spice
on a double plate grill, preheated at 250 °C, to a final internal temperature
of 70 °C. Cooking temperature was monitored by an iron/constantan
thermocouple placed in the geometric center of each loin. After
grilling, the loins were immediately cut into equal sizes and coded with
a three-digit random number.
Meat samples arising from the three rabbit groups fed with 0%, 3%,
and 6% TP, respectively, were given to the panellists in a predetermined
balanced order and were evaluated in a preference ranking test.
Panellists were asked to rank the samples in order of preference with
1 being the most preferred and 3 being the least preferred; ties were
not allowed. Evaluation took place in individual booths in a sensory
testing laboratory under controlled conditions. Between each sample,
panellists were instructed to rinse their mouths with water served at
room temperature.