Influence of cereal non-starch polysaccharides on digestion site and gut environment in growing pigs

Five Yorkshire castrates fitted with a post valve T-caecum (PVTC) cannula were used in a 5 x 5 Latin square design to study the influence of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) in cereal based diets on site and extent of digestion and gut environment. The cereal part of the control diet was designed to resemble a Swedish slaughter pig feed. Diets H and Hi had a high total NSP content, and by starch dilution, the resulting diets L and Li had a low total NSP content. The insoluble proportion (i) of the total NSP was higher in diets Hi and Li than in the other diets. There was a linear decrease (P < 0.05) in both ileal and total tract digestibility of organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) and energy with increasing dietary NSP content. NSP solubility had no effect (P > 0.05) on ileal digestibility of nutrients or dietary fibre (DF) components. The total tract digestibility of OM, fat and energy, and of all DF components was increased (P < 0.05) with higher levels of soluble NSP. The total organic acid content and pH in ileal digesta were linearly related (R-2 = 0.90). Diets L and Li showed a higher (P < 0.05) proportion of acetic acid in ileal digesta compared to diets H and Hi. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.