Studies on pigs prepared with re-entrant cannulas. 1. Effects of protein source on flow rates of dry matter, nitrogen and amino acids in digesta

Abstract

Eleven pigs were fed on one of six diets containing wheat alone or supplemented with either meat meal, fish meal, peanut meal, soybean meal or sunflower meal. Digesta were collected from the re-entrant cannulas at the mid-point and the terminal ileum of the small intestine at 2, 4, 6, 9 and 12 h after feeding. Measurements were made of flow rates of digesta, dry matter, nitrogen and amino acids at both locations in the small intestine. Peak values were usually observed for all parameters, at 2 h and from 4 to 6 h after feeding, at the mid-point and the terminal ileum respectively. Flow rates and the amounts of components in digests were often characteristic of the protein source in the diet and the location of the cannula. High concentrations of some free amino acids were observed in digesta at the mid-point, and lower concentrations at the terminal ileum in the small intestine; the significance of endogenous secretions in the small intestine is discussed.