Author(s):
Carneiro, M.S.C. 
; Lordelo, M.M. ; Cunha, L.F. ; Freire, J.P.B.
Date: 2008
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/5611
Origin: Repositório da UTL
Subject(s): piglets; dietary fibre; enzymes; intestinal fermentation
Description
The effects of fibre source, either wheat bran (WB) or maize cobs (MC), and dietary exogenous
enzymes (ES) on performance and digestive parameters of weaned piglets were studied in 24
Duroc×Landrace male piglets, weaned at 21 days of age. There were four treatments arranged factorially,
with two sources of fibre (WB or MC) and two concentrations of ES (0 or 0.15 g/kg) that
contained 800 U/kg of endo-1,4- -cellulase, 1800 U/kg of endo-1,3(4)- -d-glucanase and 2600 U/kg
of endo-1,4- -xylanase. The digestibility of the neutral detergent fibre was higher (P<0.001) in diets
containing WB and the digestibility of the acid detergent fibre increased with ES. Small intestine
digesta contents (g/kg live weight) at slaughter were higher (P<0.01) in pigs fed MC than in pigs
fed WB. Fibre source did not affect the amounts (mmol/l) of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the
small intestine. However, replacement of WB by MC increased acetic acid and decreased butyric acid
concentrations (P<0.05) in the caecum. In addition, pigs fed diets with MC as the major fibre source
had lower (P<0.05) concentration of butyric acid in the colon than pigs fed diets with WB. Enzyme
supplementation affected molar proportions of SCFA formed in the small intestine and tended to increase acetic acid, propionic acid and total SCFA concentrations in the colon of piglets fed WB
(P<0.10). The xylanolytic and cellulolytic activities in the caecum and colon were higher (P<0.05) for
piglets fed WB than for piglets fed MC. In conclusion, ES increased the digestibility of acid detergent
fibre and neutral detergent fibre and the replacement of WB by MC reduced neutral detergent fibre
and acid detergent fibre digestibility, caecal butyric acid production and hindgut activity of bacterial
enzymes.
