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Effect of Fineness of Grind of Corn on Gastric Lesions and Contents of Swine¹

University of Wisconsin, Madison^,3

Abstract

Four experiments were conducted with 206 pigs, fed four corn-based diets differing only in fineness of grind of the corn, to study the effect of dietary particle size on the development of gastric lesions. In three of the experiments a decrease in particle size resulted in a significant increase in the incidence of lesions. Keratinization was the predominant lesion, but erosions and ulcers were also observed, particularly in pigs fed finely ground corn. In a fifth experiment, pigs that were changed from fine corn to cracked corn for 40 hr. prior to slaughter had significantly fewer gastric lesions than did pigs which continued to receive finely ground corn. Decreasing particle size of corn resulted in an increase in the hexosamine content, percent moisture, fluidity and pepsin activity, and a decrease in the weight and osmotic pressure of the gastric contents, but no change in pH. Gastric lesions were associated with fluid-appearing ingesta. Fluidity was dependent on percent moisture and to some extent on the water-binding capacity of the insoluble portion of the ingesta. The results indicate that the effect of dietary particle size on gastric lesions was caused by an alteration in pepsin activity, fluidity, or both, and not by a decreased secretion of mucins or an increased secretion of acid. The mechanism whereby particle size alters these parameters was not elucidated.

¹ Published with the approval of the Director of the Wisconsin Agricultural Experiment Station, Madison.

² Appreciation is expressed to Dr. G. R. Barr who assisted in the statistical procedures.

³ Department of Biochemistry, Department of Meat and Animal Science (Paper No. 484), and Department of Veterinary Science.