Dietary adaptation of healthy adult cats to cellulose, fructooligosaccharides, or pectin modifies gas and short‐chain fatty acid production in vitro

Abstract

Nine young adult male cats were used in a 3 × 3 factorial design to determine the effects of microbial adaptation to fiber type on changes in pH, total and hydrogen gas, short‐chain fatty acid (SCFA), and branched‐chain fatty acid (BCFA) production. Cats were adapted to a diet containing 4% cellulose, fructooligosaccharides (FOS), or pectin for 30 d prior to fecal sampling. Each cat was used as a single donor, and fecal inoculum was subjected to each of the aforementioned fiber substrates. Fructooligosaccharides produced the greatest changes in pH, total gas, hydrogen gas, acetate, propionate, butyrate, total SCFA, valerate, and total BCFA production (P<0.001) regardless of adaptation to diet. Adaptation to the FOS or pectin diets increased production of total (P=0.043) and hydrogen (P=0.008) gas. Greater changes in pH (P<0.001), acetate (P=0.001), and total SCFA (P=0.003) were observed for FOS and pectin substrates with adaptation to these respective substrates. Adaptation to the cellulose diet increased production of propionate (P=0.045) when exposed to the FOS or pectin substrates. Adaptation to the pectin diet increased production of valerate and total BCFA (P=0.039 and 0.022, respectively) when exposed to the cellulose or pectin substrates. Overall, adaptation to either FOS or pectin appear to increase SCFA and gas production.