Z Lebensm Unters Forsch (1995) 200: 182-185 Zeitschriff fur Lebensmitteb Untersuchung und ~ 9 Springer-Verlag 1995 Original paper Chemical and fatty acid composition of meat from spanish wild rabbits and hares Angel Cobos, Lorenzo de la Hoz, Maria I. Cambero, Juan A. Ordofiez Departamento de Nutricidn y BromatologfaIII (Higiene y Tecnolog/a de los Alimentos), Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad Complutense, E-28040 Madrid, Spain Received March 14, 1994; revised version June 23, 1994 Chemische- und Fetts~iurenzusammensetzung des Fleisches von spanischen Wildkaninchen und Hasen Zusammenfassung. Spanische Wildkaninchen und Hasen unterscheiden sich in der Fleischzusammensetzung signifi- kant (P <0.05) nur in bezug auf den Gehalt an Trok- kenmasse und Fett in den Lenden und in bezug auf den Mineralstoffgehalt der Hinterbeine. Signifikante Unter- schiede waren auch bei den ges~ttigten Fetts~iuren in Vorderbeinen und Nierenfett und zwischen den unges~ittig- ten Fetts~iuren C-18:1 und C-18:2 in den Lenden zu beobachten. Abstract. The differences in the chemical and fatty acid compositions between the meats of five Spanish wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and five Spanish wild hares (Lepus europaeus) for foreleg, loin, hindleg and perirenal fat have been studied. Only significant differ- ences (P <0.05) in the meat chemical composition were observed between rabbits and hares for dry matter and fat in loins, and for ash in hindlegs. Significant differences (P <0.05) between saturated fatty acids in foreleg and perirenal fat and between unsaturated C-18:1 and C-18:2 fatty acids in loins were observed. Introduction The term "game" for culinary purposes is used to describe all birds and animals which are hunted for food, and although several types, such as pheasants, partridges, Correspondence to: J. A. Ordofiez quails and rabbits are now being reared domestically, they are still classified as game. Hares are decidedly game animals, but many people do not think of rabbits as game, even though they are wild animals hunted for food. Game is further distinguished by the characteristic texture and taste of its meat, which differs from that of poultry and farmyard animals; it is generally darker, stronger tasting, and often tougher, according to the age and type of animal. Hares and rabbits are found worldwide. The availability of wild rabbits and hares unlike that of domestic rabbits is restricted by hunting seasons. Usually they are bought whole and are used in many traditional recipes. It has been reported [ 1] that wild rabbit meat has a lower fat content than domestic rabbit meat. Moreover, the rabbit meat also possesses a relatively high content of phospho- lipids, ranging from 9% to 19% of total lipids [2] and a relatively high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids [3-5]. The content of phospholipids and the unsaturation level is greater in fat from wild rabbits compared with farmed ones [1]. Few data are available on the chemical and fatty acid composition of the muscle of wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and wild hares (Lepus europaeus), although the consumption of meat from these animals has a great tradition in some European countries. Some authors [6] have stated that hare meat is of very good nutritional value, being higher in essential fatty acids, in essential amino acids, particularly leucine and lysine, and in some of the vitamins of the B group such as riboflavin, compared with beef and pork. Diet has a great influence on the rabbit meat fatty acid composition, because a great part of dietary fatty acids are unmodified during the digestion and they are incorporated into the fat depots almost without modification [7-9]. Wild rabbits and hares are herbivorous animals eating a great variety of indigenous plants, grains and fruits. However, in wild animals it is difficult to establish the influence of diet on the lipid composition of their meat. The objective of the present work was to study the chemical and fatty acid composition of Spanish wild rabbits and hares and the differences between them.