101 research outputs found
Intestinal Effects of Dietary Betaine in Piglets
The study was conducted to investigate the effects of graded dietary inclusion levels
of betaine on ileal and total tract nutrient digestibilities and intestinal bacterial fermentation
characteristics in piglets. A total of 8 barrows (BW 7.9 kg) was fitted with simple T-cannulas at the
distal ileum. The animals were randomly allocated to 1 of the 4 assay diets with 2 pigs per treatment in
4 repeated measurement periods. The assay diets included a basal diet based on wheat, barley and
soybean meal alone, or supplemented with a liquid betaine product at dietary levels of 1.5, 3.0, or 6.0
g betaine kg–1
diet (as–fed). Ileal digestibilities of dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF)
increased both quadratically and linearly (P<0.05), and ileal digestibility of glycine increased linearly
as dietary betaine level increased (P<0.05). Moreover, there were linear increases in the concentrations
of ileal D–lactic acid (P<0.05), indicating intensified intestinal bacterial activities as dietary betaine
level increased. At the fecal level, total tract crude protein (CP) digestibility increased quadratically
(P<0.05), and digestibility of amino acids (AA) tended to increase quadratically (P=0.06 to P=0.11),
except for proline (P>0.05), as dietary betaine level increased. The increased bacterial degradation of
CP and AA in the large intestine coincides with the linear increase (P<0.05) in fecal diaminopimelic
acid concentrations, indicating enhanced intestinal bacterial growth with increasing dietary betaine
levels. In most cases, there was a response in the variables that were measured up to 3.0 g betaine per
kg diet, whereas increasing the betaine level from 3.0 to 6.0 g betaine per kg diet had no additional
effect. It can be concluded that dietary betaine stimulates microbial fermentation of fiber in the small
intestine, leaving less fermentable fiber to reach the large intestine and therefore, increased microbial
degradation of protein in the large intestine may occur.
Keywords: piglets, betaine, digestibility, bacterial fermentation, microflor
Intestinal gene expression in pigs: effects of reduced feed intake during weaning and potential impact of dietary components
The weaning transition is characterised by morphological, histological and microbial changes, often leading to weaning-associated disorders. These intestinal changes can partly be ascribed to the lack of luminal nutrition arising from the reduced feed intake common in pigs after weaning. It is increasingly becoming clear that changes in the supply with enteral nutrients may have major impacts on intestinal gene expression. Furthermore, the major dietary constituents, i.e. carbohydrates, fatty acids and amino acids, participate in the regulation of intestinal gene expression. However, nutrients may also escape digestion by mammalian enzymes in the upper gastrointestinal tract. These nutrients can be used by the microflora, resulting in the production of bacterial metabolites, for example, SCFA, which may affect intestinal gene expression indirectly. The present review provides an insight on possible effects of reduced feed intake on intestinal gene expression, as it may occur post-weaning. Detailed knowledge on effects of reduced feed intake on intestinal gene expression may help to understand weaning-associated intestinal dysfunctions and diseases. Examples are given of intestinal genes which may be altered in their expression due to supply with specific nutrients. In that way, gene expression could be modulated by dietary means, thereby acting as a potential therapeutic tool. This could be achieved, for example, by influencing genes coding for digestive or absorptive proteins, thus optimising digestive function and metabolism, but also with regard to immune response, or by influencing proliferative processes, thereby enhancing mucosal repair. This would be of special interest when designing a diet to overcome weaning-associated problem
Betaine, organic acids and inulin do not affect ileal and total tract nutrient digestibility or microbial fermentation in piglets
The study was conducted to investigate the effects of betaine alone or combined with organic acids and inulin on ileal and total tract nutrient digestibilities and intestinal microbial fermentation characteristics in piglets. In total, 24 four-week-old barrows with an average initial body weight of 6.7 kg were used in two consecutive experiments with 12 piglets each. Betaine, organic acids and inulin at a level of 0.2, 0.4 and 0.2%, respectively, or combinations of these supplements were added to the basal diet. The supplementation of betaine, organic acids and inulin or any of their combinations did not affect ileal and total tract nutrient digestibilities. The microbial fermentation products both at the ileal and faecal level were not affected by any of the treatments. In conclusion, combining betaine with organic acids and inulin did not have any associated effects on the variables that were measured
Effect of graded levels of dietary betaine on ileal and total tract nutrient digestibilities and intestinal bacterial metabolites in piglets*
The study was conducted to investigate the effects of graded dietary
inclusion levels of betaine on ileal and total tract nutrient digestibilities
and intestinal bacterial metabolites in piglets. A total of eight barrows
with an average initial body weight of 7.9 kg were randomly allocated
to one of the four assay diets with two pigs per treatment in four
repeated measurement periods. The assay diets included a basal diet
based on wheat, barley and soybean meal alone, or supplemented with
a liquid betaine product at dietary levels of 1.5, 3.0, or 6.0 g betaine per
kilogram diet (as-fed). Ileal digestibilities of dry matter and neutral
detergent fibre increased both quadratically and linearly, and ileal
digestibility of glycine increased linearly as dietary betaine level
increased (p < 0.05). Furthermore, total tract digestibility of crude pro-
tein increased quadratically (p < 0.05) and total tract digestibilities of
most amino acids tended to increase quadratically (p = 0.06 to p = 0.11)
with increasing dietary betaine level. Moreover, there were linear
increases in the concentrations of most bacterial metabolites which were
significant p < 0.05 for ileal d-lactic acid and for faecal diaminopimelic
acid. The results demonstrate that dietary betaine supplementation stim-
ulates bacterial fermentation of fibre in the small intestine and bacterial
degradation of crude protein in the large intestine
Effect of ileo-rectal anastomosis and post-valve T-caecum cannulation on growing pigs. 2. Blood variables and mineral balances
In a long-term study nine ileo-rectally anastomosed (IRA) and seven post-valve T-caecum (PVTC)-cannulated pigs were compared with six intact pigs with regard to different blood variables, sodium and potassium retention and weights of selected organs. After surgery, apart from urea and K measured 13 weeks post-surgery, there were no differences in the blood variables between the PVTC-pigs and intact pigs. In IRA-pigs concentrations of creatinine (P < 0.01), Na (P < 0.001), base excess (P < 0.001), pH (P < 0.01) and bicarbonate (P < 0.001) in blood were lower than those in intact pigs. At 13 weeks after surgery the blood K concentration in IRA-pigs was higher (P < 0.001) than that in PVTC-pigs or intact pigs. At 6 weeks after surgery the blood urea concentration in IRA-pigs was higher (P < 0.001) than that in intact and PVTC-pigs. At 13 weeks after surgery the urea concentration in PVTC-pigs was higher (P < 0.001) than those in IRA-pigs or intact pigs. The Na (P < 0.01 11 weeks after surgery) and (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 5 and 11 weeks after surgery respectively) balances in IRA-pigs were lower than those in intact animals. Na retention was negative for IRA-animals 11 weeks after surgery. Na and K retentions were similar in PVTC-pigs and in intact pigs. The urinary: faecal excretion of Na differed slightly between PVTC-animals and intact animals. At 13 weeks after surgery there were no differences in organ weights between the PVTC-pigs and intact animals. In the IRA-pigs the weights of the liver (P > 0.05), the kidneys (P > 0.05) and the adrenal glands were higher (P < 0.001) than those in the intact animals
Standardization of methods for the determination of ileal amino acid digestibilities in growing pigs
Based on current recommendations of the CVB (1996) in the Netherlands and the GfE (2002, 2005) in Germany, a standardization of methods for the determination of ileal amino acid digestibilities in growing pigs is proposed. Differences and similarities between these protocols in terms of (i) animals, housing and feeding conditions (ii), methods for digesta collection and handling, and (iii) approaches to determine ileal amino acid digestibilities are describe
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