Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T16:32:16.317Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The influence of dietary fibre source and level on the development of the gastrointestinal tract, digestibility and energy metabolism in broiler chickens

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 March 2007

Henry JøRgensen ,
Xin-Quan Zhao ,
Knud Erik Bach Knudsen  and
Bjørn O. Eggum
Henry JøRgensen
Affiliation:
National Institute of Animal Science, Department of Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Research Centre Foulum, PO Box 39, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
Xin-Quan Zhao
Affiliation:
National Institute of Animal Science, Department of Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Research Centre Foulum, PO Box 39, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
Knud Erik Bach Knudsen
Affiliation:
National Institute of Animal Science, Department of Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Research Centre Foulum, PO Box 39, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
Bjørn O. Eggum
Affiliation:
National Institute of Animal Science, Department of Animal Physiology and Biochemistry, Research Centre Foulum, PO Box 39, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

The present study was undertaken to provide detailed information about the effect of fibre source (pea fibre, wheat bran or oat bran) at inclusion levels of 0, 187 and 375 g/kg diet on the development of the digestive tract, nutrient digestibility and energy and protein metabolism in broiler chickens. Heat production was measured using open-air-circuit respiration chambers. Diets with increasing levels of pea fibre decreased the DM in droppings and increased excreta output (2·5-fold) relative to DM intake. Adaptation to increased dietary fibre levels included increases in the size of the digestive system, with pea fibre exerting a stronger impact than wheat bran or oat bran. The length of the intestine, and particularly the length and weight of the caecum, increased with the fibre level. The digestibility of all nutrients also decreased with increasing fibre level. The decrease in the digestibility in relation to NSP for the three fibre sources was bigger for oat bran (0·0020 per g dietary NSP) than for pea fibre and wheat bran (0·0014 and 0·0016 per g dietary NSP) indicating that the cell walls in oat bran (aleurone and subaleurone) had a significant negative effect on the digestibility of cellular nutrients, i.e. protein and fat. The degradation of the NSP constituents was far lower in chickens than found in other animal species such as pigs and rats, thus supporting the view that chickens do not ferment fibre polymers to a great extent. Excretion of organic acids (mainly lactic acid and acetic acid) accounted for up to 2% of metabolizable energy (ME) intake with the highest excretion for the high-fibre diets. H2 excretion was related to the amount of NSP degraded and indicated higher microbial fermentation with increasing fibre levels. The chickens' feed intake responded to a great extent to dietary ME concentration but expressed in terms of metabolic body size (W0·75) ME intake was depressed at the high fibre levels. Dietary NSP was able to explain between 86% (oat bran) and 96% (pea fibre) of the variation in ME concentration. The amount of energy available from fermentation of NSP appears to reach a maximum of 42 KJ/d independent of fibre source and level. Expressed in relation to ME intake the NSP fermentation contributed 3-4%. With increasing fibre intake the partitioning of retained energy between body protein and body fat changed in favour of protein.

Keywords

GutfillHeat incrementNon-starch polysaccharidesFermentation
Type
Effects of dietary fibre on gastrointestinal function
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 75 , Issue 3 , March 1996 , pp. 379 - 395
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 1996

References

Annison, G. (1991). Relationship between the levels of soluble nonstarch polysaccharides and the apparent metabolizable energy of wheats assayed in broiler chickens. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 39, 1252–1256.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anugwa, F. O. I., Varel, V. H., Dickson, J. S. & Pond, W. G. (1989). Effects of dietary fibre and protein concentration on growth, feed efficiency, visceral organ weights and large intestine microbial populations of swine. Journal of Nutrition 119, 879–886.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Association of Official Analytical Chemists (1975). Official Methods of Analysis, 11th ed. Washington, DC: Association of Official Analytical Chemists.Google Scholar
Bach Knudsen, K. E., Jensen, B. B., Andersen, J. O. & Hansen, I (1991). Gastrointestinal implications in pigs of wheat and oat fractions. 2. Microbial activity in the gastrointestinal tract. British Journal of Nutrition 65, 233–248.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bach Knudsen, K. E., Jensen, B. B. & Hansen, I.(1993). Digestion of polysaccharides and other major components in the small and large intestine of pigs fed on diets consisting of oat fractions rich in ,β-D-glucan. British Journal of Nutrition 70, 537–556.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bedford, M. R., Classen, H. L. & Campbell, G. L. (1991). The effect of pelleting, salt, and pentosanase on the viscosity of intestinal contents and the performance of broilers fed rye. Poultry Science 70, 1571–1577.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brouwer, E. (1965). Report of Sub-committee on Constants and Factors. In Energy Metabolism. EAAP Publication no. 11, pp. 441–443 [Blaxter, K. L., editor]. London: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Carré, B., Derouet, L. & Leclercq, B. (1990). The digestibility of cell-wall polysaccharides from wheat (bran or whole grain), soybean meal, and white lupin meal in cockerels, muscovy ducks, and rats. Poultry Science 69, 623–633.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carré, B. & Leclercq, B. (1985). Digestion of polysaccharides, protein and lipids by adult cockerels fed on diets containing a pectic cell-wall material from white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) cotyledon. British Journal of Nutrition 54, 669–680.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Choct, M. & Annison, G. (1992). Anti-nutritive effect of wheat pentosans in broiler chickens: roles of viscosity and gut microflora. British Poultry Science 33, 821–834.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Christensen, K., Chwalibog, A., Henckel, S. & Thorbek, G. (1988). Heat production in growing pigs calculated according to the RQ and CN methods. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 91A, 463–468.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Chwalibog, A., Lind, J. & Thorbek, G. (1979). Description of a respiration unit for quantitative measurements of gas exchange in small animals applied for indirect calorimetry. Zeitschrift für Tierphysiologie, Tierernährung und Futtermittelkunde 42, 154–162.Google Scholar
Ferrell, C. L. & Koong, K. J. (1986). Influence of plane of nutrition on body composition, organ size and energy utilization of Sprague-Dawley rats. Journal of Nutrition 116, 2525–2535.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goodlad, J. S. & Mathers, J. C. (1990). Large bowel fermentation in rats given diets containing raw peas (Pisum sativum). British Journal of Nutrition 64, 569–587.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Graham, H.Hesselman, K. & Åman, P. (1986). The influence of wheat bran and sugar-beet pulp on digestibility of dietary components in a cereal-based pig diet. Journal of Nutrition 116, 242–251.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hansen, I., Bach Knudsen, K. E. & Eggum, B. O. (1992). Gastrointestinal implications in the rat of wheat bran, oat bran and pea fibre. British Journal of Nutrition 68, 451–462.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ikema, S., Tsuchinashi, F., Harada, H., Tsuchihashi, N. & Innami, S. (1990). Effect of viscous indigestible polysaccharides on pancreatic-biliary secretion and digestive organs in rats. Journal of Nutrition 120, 353–360.Google Scholar
Jensen, B. B. & Jørgensen, H. (1994). Effect of dietary fibre on microbial activity and microbial gas production in various regions of the gastrointestinal tract of pigs. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 60, 1897–1904.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jensen, M. T., Cox, R. P. & Jensen, B. B. (1995). Microbial production of skatole in the hind gut of pigs fed different diets and its relation to skatole deposition in backfat. Animal Science 61, 293–304.Google Scholar
Jørgensen, H., Sørensen, P. & Eggum, B. O.. (1990). Protein and energy metabolism in broiler chickens selected for either body weight gain or feed efficiency. British Poultry Science 31, 517–525.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jørgensen, H., Zhao, X. & Eggum, B. O. (1996). The influence of dietary fibre and environmental temperature on the development of the gastrointestinal tract, digestibility, degree of fermentation in the hind-gut and energy metabolism in pigs. British Journal of Nutrition 75, 365–378.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Just, A., Fernández, J. A. & Jørgensen, H. (1983). The net energy value of diets for growth in pigs in relation to the fermentative processes in the digestive tract and the site of absorption of the nutrients. Livestock Production Science 10, 171–186.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koong, L. J., Ferrell, C. L. & Nienaber, J. A. (1985). Assessment of interrelationships among levels of intake and production, organ size and fasting heat production in growing animals. Journal of Nutrition 115, 1383–1390.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lewitt, D. & Donaldson, R. M. (1970). Use of respiratory hydrogen (H2) excretion to detect carbohydrate malabsorption. Journal of Laboratory and Clinical Medicine 75, 937–945.Google Scholar
Livesey, G. (1990) Energy values of unavailable carbohydrate and diets: an inquiry and analysis. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 51, 617–637.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Livesey, G. (1994). Polyols, breath hydrogen and fermentation.(Letters to the Editors). British Journal of Nutrition 72, 947–948.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Longstaff, M. & McNab, J. M. (1989). Digestion of fibre polysaccharides of pea (Pisum sativum) hulls, carrot and cabbage by adult cockerels. British Journal of Nutrition 62, 563–577.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
MacLeod, M. G. (1990). Energy and nitrogen intake, expenditure and retention at 20° in growing fowl given diets with a wide range of energy and protein contents. British Journal of Nutrition 64, 625–637.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Moss, R. (1989). Gut size and the digestion of fibrous diets by tetraonid birds. Journal of Experimental Zoology 3, Suppl., 61–65.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Muramatsu, T., Kodama, H., Morishita, T., Furuse, M. & Okumura, J. (1991). Effect of intestinal microflora on digestible energy and fibre digestion in chickens fed high-fibre diet. American Journal of Veterinary Research 52, 1178–1181.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Neergaard, L., Petersen, C. B. & Thorbek, G. (1969). Carbon determination in biological materials related to respiration trials. Zeitschrift für Tierphysiology, Tierernährung und Futtermittelkunde 25, 302–308.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pekas, J. C. & Wray, J. E. (1991). Principal gastrointestinal variables associated with metabolic heat production in pigs: statistical cluster analyses. Journal of Nutrition 121, 231–239.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Pettersson, D. & Åman, P. (1989). Enzyme supplementation of a poultry diet containing rye and wheat. British Journal of Nutrition 62, 139–149.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rechkemmer, G., Rönnau, K. & Engelhardt, W. v. (1988). Fermentation of polysaccharides and absorption of short chain fatty acids in the mammalian hindgut. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 90A, 563–568.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Richardson, A. J., Calder, A. G., Stewart, C. S. & Smith, A. (1989). Simultaneous determination of volatile and non-volatile acidic fermentation products of anaerobes by capillary gas chromatography. Letters in Applied Microbiology 9, 5–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Satchithanandam, S., Vargofcak-Apker, M., Calvert, R. J., Leeds, A. R. & Cassidy, M. M. (1990). Alteration of gastrointestinal mucin by fibre feeding in rats. Journal of Nutrition 120, 1179–1184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Savory, C. J. (1992 a). Gastrointestinal morphology and absorption of monosaccharides in fowls conditioned to different types and levels of dietary fibre. British Journal of Nutrition 67, 77–89.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Savory, C. J. (1992 b). Metabolic fates of U-14C-labelled monosaccharides and an enzyme-treated cell-wall substrate in the fowl. British Journal of Nutrition 67, 103–114.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Savory, C. J. & Gentle, M. J. (1976). Changes in food intake and gut size in Japanese quail in response to manipulation of dietary fibre content. British Poultry Science 17, 571–580.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schürch, A. F., Lloyd, L. E. & Crampton, E. W. (1950). The use of chromic oxide as an index for determining the digestibility of a diet. Journal of Nutrition 50, 628–636.Google Scholar
Schutte, J. B., de Jong, J., van Weerden, E. J. & van Baak, M. J. (1992). Nutritional value of D-xylose and L-arabinose for broiler chicks. British Poultry Science 33, 89–100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schutte, J. B., van Leeuwen, P. & Lichtendank, W. J. (1991). Ileal digestibility and urinary excretion of D-xylose and L-arabinose in ileostomized adult roosters. Poultry Science 70, 884–891.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sibbald, I. R., Hall, D. D., Wolynetz, M. S., Fernández, J. A. & Jørgensen, H. (1990). Relationship between bioavailable energy estimates made with pigs and cockerels. Animal Feed Science and Technology 30, 131–142.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Statistical Analysis Systems Institute (1987). SAS/STAT Guide for Personal Computers, version 6 ed. Cary, NC: SAS Institute Inc.Google Scholar
Steenfeldt, S., Bach Knudsen, K. B., Børsting, C. F. & Eggum, B. O. (1995). The nutritive value of decorticated mill fractions of wheat. 2. Evaluation with raw and enzyme treated fractions using adult cockerels. Animal Feed Science and Technology 54, 249–265.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Stoldt, W. (1952). Vorslag zur Vereinheitlichung der Fettbestimmung in Lebensmitteln(Suggestions to standardize the determination of fat in foodstuffs). Fette, Seifen, Anstrichmittel 54, 206–207.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, D. H. & Skadhauge, E. (1988). Transport function and control in bird caeca. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology 90A, 591–596.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
van der Klis, J. D., van Voorst, A. & van Cruyningen, C. (1993). Effect of a soluble polysaccharide (carboxy methyl cellulose) on the physico-chemical conditions in the gastrointestinal tract of broilers. British Poultry Science 34, 971–983.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Wolever, T. M. S., Cohen, Z., Thomson, L. U., Thorne, M. J., Jenkins, M. J. A., Prokipchuck, E. J. & Jenkins, D. J. A. (1986). Ileal loss of available carbohydrate in man: comparison of breath hydrogen method with direct measurement using a human ileostomy model. American Journal of Gastroenterolog 81, 115–122.Google ScholarPubMed
Yen, J. T., Nienaber, J. A., Hill, D. A. & Pond, W. G. (1989). Oxygen consumption by portal vein-drained organs and by whole animal in conscious growing swine. Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 190, 393–398.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhao, X., Jørgensen, H. & Eggum, B. O. (1995). The influence of dietary fibre on body composition, visceral organ weight, digestibility and energy balance in rats housed in different thermal environments. British Journal of Nutrition 13, 687–699.CrossRefGoogle Scholar