A high-starch vs. high-fibre diet: effects on the gut environment of the different intestinal compartments of the horse digestive tract

Autor: Federica Raspa, Ingrid Vervuert, Maria Teresa Capucchio, Elena Colombino, Domenico Bergero, Claudio Forte, Martina Greppi, Laura Cavallarin, Marzia Giribaldi, Sara Antoniazzi, Damiano Cavallini, Ermenegildo Valvassori, Emanuela Valle
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2022
Předmět:
Zdroj: BMC Veterinary Research, Vol 18, Iss 1, Pp 1-11 (2022)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1746-6148
DOI: 10.1186/s12917-022-03289-2
Popis: Abstract Background Horses are often fed high amounts of starch in their diets despite the well-established benefits of a fibre-based diet to promote gut health and animal welfare. The aim of the present study was to compare the effects of two different diets – one based on high amounts of starch (HS) vs. one base on high amounts of fibre (HF) – on specific parameters of the gut environment across different intestinal compartments of the horse digestive tract. To this end differences in the gastrointestinal environment between HS vs. HF fed horses were assessed in terms of dry matter, organic matter and ash content; the particle size distribution and volatile fatty acid composition were also investigated. Results Nineteen Bardigiano horses of 14.3 ± 0.7 months of age and destined to slaughter were divided into two group pens – one fed with high amounts of starch (HS; n = 9; 43% hay plus 57% starch-rich pelleted feed); vs. fed with high amounts of fibre (HF; n = 10; 70% hay plus 30% fibre-rich pelleted feed). Horses fed HS diet presented a higher dry matter content in the right dorsal colon. Moreover, they showed a higher organic matter and ash content in the sternal flexure, pelvic flexure, right dorsal colon and rectum. In these latter intestinal compartments, horses fed a HS diet also showed a higher proportion of particles retained on an 8 mm sieve and a higher proportion of particles that washed through the finest sieve (
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