2. Materials and methods
2.1. Animals and diets
The study was carried out at the experimental rabbitry of the Department
of Agriculture, Forestry, and Food Sciences in Carmagnola
(NW Italy). One-hundred and forty four weaned crossbred
(Hycole × Grimaud) rabbits, 38 days old, with a mean weight of
1166 ± 13 g, were randomly assigned to three groups of 48 (50%
male and 50% female rabbits each) with equal initial weight variability.
The animals were single housed in wire cages at a height of
90 cm from the concrete floor at a temperature of 22 ± 2 °C and
had free access to clean drinking water.
Three isoproteic and isoenergetic diets were formulated with increasing
levels of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum Mill.) pomace (TP)
(0% TP, 3% TP, and 6% TP), which were obtained from a private tomato
processing company (TOMATOFARM Srl) at Pozzolo Formigaro, Italy
in July 2010. TP was ensiled for 2 months without any additive in a