Ileal and total tract digestibility, and protein and fat balance in pigs fed rice with addition of potato starch, sugar beet pulp or wheat bran

Abstract

A repeated 4×4 Latin square design was performed with eight ileal cannulated castrates to study the effect of source of starch and fibre on apparent ileal and faecal digestibility, and crude protein (CP) and fat balance. The experimental diets were based on cooked rice (C) and cooked rice with addition of raw potato starch (P), sugar beet pulp (S) and wheat bran (W). The inclusion of potato starch reduced ( P<0.05) the ileal digestibility of organic matter (OM) and starch, and the total tract digestibility of CP. The ileal digestibility of potato starch was calculated to be 0.75. Inclusion of fibre sources (sugar beet pulp and wheat bran) in the basal diet resulted in a reduction ( P<0.05) in the ileal and faecal digestibility of dietary components (except for starch) and energy. While there were no differences ( P>0.05) in the ileal digestibility of dietary components and energy between fibre sources, the total tract digestibility of dietary components (except for CP and starch) and energy were lower ( P<0.05) for the insoluble fibre source (wheat bran). With the exception of mannose and uronic acid the ileal digestibility of individual sugars were unaffected ( P>0.05) by diet composition. The inclusion of wheat bran negatively influenced the faecal digestibility of individual sugars (except for xylose) and non-starch polysaccharides. Nitrogen retention was unaffected ( P>0.05) by diet composition, while fat accretion tended ( P<0.10) to be lower in diet C. The latter was due to a low feed and energy intake.