Influence of dietary fiber on luminal environment and morphology in the small and large intestine of sows

¹ University of Aarhus, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Department of Animal Health, Welfare and Nutrition, P.O. Box 50, Research Centre Foulum, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: Mette.Hedemann{at}agrsci.dk.

	Abstract

In this study the effect of feeding different type and amount of dietary fiber (DF) on luminal environment and morphology in the small and large intestine of sows was studied. Three diets; a low fiber diet (LF) and 2 high fiber diets (high fiber 1, HF1 and high fiber 2, HF2) were used. Diet LF (DF, 17%; soluble DF, 4.6%) was based on wheat and barley; whereas, the 2 high fiber diets (HF1: DF, 43%; soluble DF 11.0% and HF2: DF, 45%; soluble DF 7.6%) were based on wheat and barley supplemented with different co-products from the vegetable food and agro industry (HF1 and HF2: sugar beet pulp, potato pulp and pectin residue; HF2: brewer's spent grain, seed residue and pea hull). The diets were fed for a 4-wk period to 12 sows (4 receiving each diet). Thereafter, the sows were killed 4 h post feeding and digesta and tissue samples were collected from various parts of the small and large intestine. The carbohydrates in the LF diet were well digested in the small intestine resulting in less digesta in all segments of the intestinal tract. The fermentation of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in the large intestine was affected by the chemical composition and physicochemical properties. The digesta from pigs fed the LF diet provided low levels of fermentable carbohydrates that were depleted in proximal colon, whereas for pigs fed the 2 high DF diets, digesta was depleted of fermentable carbohydrates at more distal locations of the colon. The consequence was an increased retention time, greater DM percent; decreased amount of material and a decreased tissue weight after feeding the LF diet compared with the high DF diets. The concentration of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) was consistent with the fermentability of carbohydrates in the large intestine but there was no effect of the dietary composition on molar SCFA proportions. It was further shown that feeding the diet providing the greatest amount of fermentable carbohydrates (diet HF1 high in soluble DF) resulted in significant morphological changes in the colon compared with the LF diet.

Key Words: co-products, carbohydrates, digestibility, luminal environment, morphology, sows

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