Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the coefficients of pre-cecal, ileal digestibility, and glycemic response in cannulated horses fed with different starch sources. Four male horses were used in a 4 × 4 Balanced Latin Square cannulated in the cecum, with 36 months of age and average weight of 350 kg. The horses were fed with hay and the following sources of starch in concentrates: 1) corn (C); 2) oats (O); 3) sorghum (S); and 4) corn/oats (CO). The experiment consisted of four periods of eighteen days each, being the first twelve days of adaptation and six days to collect samples. There was no difference in cecal and ileal digestibility of starch, CP, ADF, NDF and OM among diets evaluated. However, horses fed with oats diet had higher values of pre-cecal apparent digestibility of DM in relation at the horses fed to sorghum and corn/oats diets. The values of CF digestibility were higher for equines fed with oats and sorghum diet compared to corn/oats diet. The horses fed with corn/oats diet had lower plasma glucose concentrations 30 minutes before the supply and higher insulin concentrations 210 minutes after ingestion of the foods. The digestibility of nutrients in equine diets, in pre-cecal and pre-ileal evaluation, presents significant differences, depending on the starch source provided, oat, corn or sorghum. The plasma glucose concentrations are directly correlated with the digestibility of starch.
Highlights
The knowledge about nutrition, physiology of digestion and physiological responses related to feed evaluation in horses has been the subject of many scientific papers [1]-[3]
Digestibility The horses fed with oats diet had higher values of pre-cecal apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM) compared to animals fed with the sorghum and corn/oat treatments (P < 0.05) (Figure 1(a))
The values of crude fiber (CF) digestibility were higher for animals fed with the O and S compared to CO (P < 0.05) (Figure 1(b))
Summary
The knowledge about nutrition, physiology of digestion and physiological responses related to feed evaluation in horses has been the subject of many scientific papers [1]-[3]. The progress in research related to this subject has found barriers, especially in regard to the energy metabolism post-absorptive. This occurs because the knowledge of the equine digestive physiology is essential for consistent nutritional practice. This information is not available in the evaluation systems of feed for horses, and many countries use as an alternative, feed composition tables for ruminants. Studies of pre-cecal digestion in horses are recent and the collection methods in this part of the intestine are not well established, and it is of fundamental importance in determination of the nutrients partial digestibility [7]
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