In developing countries, agricultural areas are used to grow ingredients for rabbits' nutrition instead of food for the human population. In this context, in places where people starve, it is unreasonable to use ingredients, such as maize, in rabbits' diets. This research aimed to evaluate performance, meat composition and coloration, and economic viability in rabbits fed with diets containing banana peel (BP) in substitution to maize. Forty-five White New Zealand rabbits were used; they were weaned at 35 days old and divided into five treatments in a completely randomized design. The animals were fed with some of the following diets: control diet (0BP)-without banana peel; experimental diets: 25BP, 50BP, 75BP and 100BP-with 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% of banana peel in substitution to maize, respectively. Means were compared through analysis of variance, followed by Tukey test (0.05). Results indicate there were no differences in performance and meat parameters. Banana peel inclusion resulted in lower costs. Therefore, banana peel can replace maize up to 100% in diets for rabbits with no loss in performance and meat composition, representing a promising alternative in rabbits' nutrition.
Keywords: Animal nutrition; By-products; Cuniculture; Sustainability.