Effect of inulin supplementation on selected gastric, duodenal, and caecal microbiota and short chain fatty acid pattern in growing piglets.
We explored whether bifidobacteria and lactobacilli numbers and other selected bacteria in the upper intestine and the caecum of growing pigs were affected by diet and intake of inulin. Starting at two weeks after weaning (28 d) 72 pigs were fed two types of diets (wheat/barley (WB) or maize/gluten (MG)), without or with 3% inulin (WB + I, MG + I) for three and six weeks. Intestinal bacteria were quantified by fluorescence-in-situ-hybridization (n = 8/group). Duration of feeding had no effect on the variables tested, so data for both periods were pooled. Gastric total bacteria amounted to log(10) 7.4/g digesta. Bifidobacteria were detected in stomach and duodenum two weeks after weaning and disappeared thereafter. In jejunum and caecum bifidobacteria were present at a level of log(10) 7.0/g digesta. Inulin did not alter numbers of lactobacilli, bifidobacteria, enterococci, enterobacteria and bacteria of the Clostridium coccoides/Eubacterium rectale-group. Inulin disappearance in stomach plus jejunum was higher with the MG diet (73.7 vs. 60.7%, p = 0.013). Caecal acetate was lower in inulin-supplemented diets (p < 0.05) whereas propionate and butyrate were higher in pigs fed the WB diets (p < 0.05). With the WB diet total caecal short chain fatty acids concentration was higher which resulted in a lower pH value (p < 0.05).
Eberhard
Markus
M
Research Units Nutritional Physiology and Molecular Biology, Research Institute for the Biology of Farm Animals (FBN), Dummerstorf, Germany.
Hennig
Ulf
U
Kuhla
Siegfried
S
Brunner
Ronald M
RM
Kleessen
Brigitta
B
Metges
Cornelia C
CC
D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001419:Bacteria / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development*; D001644:Bifidobacterium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D002432:Cecum / Q000382:microbiology; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial / Q000662:veterinary; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004386:Duodenum / Q000382:microbiology; D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism*; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence / Q000662:veterinary; D007422:Intestines / Q000187:drug effects / Q000382:microbiology*; D007444:Inulin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007778:Lactobacillus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D013270:Stomach / Q000382:microbiology; D013552:Swine / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000382:microbiology; D015430:Weight Gain
D005232:Fatty Acids, Volatile; D007444:Inulin