Wheat bran and oat hulls have dose-dependent effects on ad-libitum feed intake in pigs related to digesta hydration and colonic fermentation

Food Funct. 2019 Dec 11;10(12):8298-8308. doi: 10.1039/c8fo02496k.

Abstract

Undigested nutrients and fermentable fibre in the distal ileum and colon stimulate intestinal brakes, which reduce gastric-emptying and digesta-passage-rate, and subsequently limit feed/food-intake. Fibre can also stimulate passage rate potentially increasing feed intake (FI). In order to experimentally determine the relationships between these two hypothesised actions of fibre, five levels of wheat-bran (WB) or oat-hulls (OH) were added to a highly digestible starch-based diet fed to pigs ad-libitum for three weeks. Average-daily-feed-intake (ADFI), faecal short-chain-fatty-acids (SCFA) and related parameters were determined at 7, 14 and 21d. A linear mixed model was fitted to FI and fermentation parameters. Overall, WB diets showed 8-11% lower ADFI (7-14d: p < 0.05; 7-21 & 0-21d: p = 0.053) than OH diets. WB diets produced over 20% more (21d: p < 0.01) SCFA than OH or Control diets. WB at 25% produced 22% more (7d: p < 0.05) SCFA than any other diet. Diets with WB at 25 and 35%, showed higher hydration capacity than any other diet (p < 0.001). OH at 10% had an unusually low FI and a markedly higher hydration capacity. With increasing levels of OH, intake of base diet was 7% more than control at 5% OH, but 8% less than control at 20% OH. With increasing WB content, intake of base diet decreased. From these results, we propose that three mechanisms control the effects of fibre on FI: initial increase in passage rate and feed intake at low concentrations of non-swelling fibres; a depression in FI from high fibre bulk; and reduced feed intake from stimulation of ileal and colonic brakes.

MeSH terms

  • Animal Feed / analysis*
  • Animals
  • Avena / metabolism*
  • Colon / metabolism
  • Dietary Fiber / metabolism*
  • Digestion
  • Eating*
  • Fatty Acids, Volatile / analysis
  • Fatty Acids, Volatile / metabolism
  • Feces / chemistry
  • Ileum / metabolism
  • Male
  • Swine / physiology*
  • Triticum / metabolism*
  • Water / metabolism

Substances

  • Dietary Fiber
  • Fatty Acids, Volatile
  • Water