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Measurement of Volatile Fatty Acid Production Rates in the Cecum of the Pony

University of Illinois, Urbana 61801

¹ Animal Science Department. Address reprint requests to: 124 Animal Sciences Laboratory, Urbana, Illinois, 68101.

Abstract

Three experiments, each utilizing three ponies, were conducted using a mixed VFA solution of [1–¹⁴C] acetate, [1–¹⁴C] propionate and [2–3³H] butyrate to determine VFA production rates in the cecum of the pony. Diet A used in experiment 1, contained a forage to grain ratio of 1:2, while diet B, used in experiments 2 and 3, contained a forage to grain ratio of 3:1. Experiment 1, in which a constant infusion technique was used, resulted in net VFA production rates (mmoles/min) of 3.667 to 3.977 (=3.836) for acetate, .410 to 1.664 (=1.213) for propionate and .342 to 1.124 (=.629) for butyrate. The wide variation in rates was due to extreme values found with one animal. Experiments 2 and 3 were single injection experiments with calculated production rates in mmoles/min ranging from 3.956 to 5.778 (=4.638) for acetate, 1.035 to 1.560 (=1.299) for propionate and .403 to .629 (=.450) for butyrate. Interconversion of the VFA, calculated from data of experiment 1, demonstrated that approximately one-half of the butyrate was derived from acetate, while only 2 to 4% of the acetate was derived from the butyrate. VFA production within the cecum accounted for approximately 30% of the digestible energy intake.

² Present address: Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario,Canada.

³ Dairy Science Department.

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