Prebiotics in piglet nutrition? Fermentation kinetics along the GI tract

Keywords: fermentation, gas production, pigletsThe generalized theory behind the carbohydrate to protein fermentation in the GIT is that in presence of fermentable carbohydrate substrate, microbes prefer to ferment carbohydrate source to derive energy and use the nitrogen available for their own growth. With this background information, it was hypothesized that inclusion of fermentable carbohydrates in the piglet diet will reduce the protein fermentation, which will be confirmed by reduced levels of ammonia and branched chain fatty acids in end product profile of the fermentation. The aim of this thesis was to study the effects of inclusion of fermentable carbohydrates in weaning piglets' diet, on GIT fermentation and any changes in microbial community composition and activity. Weaning process in an intensified pig production system brings many sudden changes in the environmental and physical factors in piglets' life. These sudden changes, especially in diet cause serious imbalance in the microbial community. Quicker stabilization and diversification of microbial community post weaning, is crucial in attending the gut health and reducing the risk of pathogenic infections by 'Colonization resistance: As part of this overall aim, the in vitro cumulative gas production technique was used to study the fermentation of selected fermentable substrates. While these substrates namely lactulose, inulin, wheat starch and sugar beet pulp (SBP) were included in test diet and their effect on GIT fermentation was studied in vivo. The combination of microbial community analysis based on fingerprinting techniques such as denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) with nutritional analysis of fermentation end product profiles, was used in vivo and in vitro studies. In in vivo trials, emphasis was given on using combination of slow fermenting carbohydrate sources such as, SBP and wheat starch with fast fermenting lactulose and inulin. The hypothesis behind this approach was to induce carbohydrate fermentation along the GIT, by providing carbohydrate substrate for the microbiota in different parts of GIT. Especially by taking in to account the difference in the transit time of feed in the different parts of GIT, it was expected that fast fermenting lactulose and inulin would be fermented in small intestine while wheat starch somewhere in the beginning of the large intestine while, SBP will reach the distal part of colon. It was found that fermentation along the GIT was improved or in other words skewed more towards the carbohydrate fermentation in vivo. It was observed in vivo that inclusion of fermentable carbohydrates in the diet reduces the protein fermentation in the GIT and ammonia concentration in end product profile. This decrease was observed along the GIT and in time in faecal fermentation end product profiles post weaning. Microbial community analysis using fingerprinting techniques revealed that inclusion of fermentable carbohydrates stabilized and diversified microbial community in the ileum as well as in the colon by day 10 post weaning. This way, the prebiotic effects of fermentable carbohydrates was evidenced. -