Intestinal absorption of proteins by the neonatal piglet fed on sow's colostrum with either natural or experimentally eliminated trypsin-inhibiting activity.

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the intestinal absorption of total protein, IgG, albumin, beta-lactoglobulin, SCTI and trypsin was studied in newborn unsuckled piglets by feeding them either on normal colostrum or trypsin-inhibition-free colostrum. The results indicate a correlation between the molecular weights of the fed proteins and the time at which they reach their maximum concentration in the blood. Feeding of inhibition-free colostrum resulted in a significantly lower absorption. Evidently the trypsin inhibitors of sow's colostrum cause an increased efficiency in the absorption of undegraded colostrum proteins. However, as large quantities of proteins were absorbed even when inhibition-free colostrum was used for feeding, other factors must also be involved in the regulation of intestinal protein absorption.