title: Meal patterns in relation to the supply of branched-chain amino acids in pigs.
abstract: When a diet deficient in Val with excessive Leu is offered to pigs, feed intake is reduced. The physiological mechanisms underlying the rejection of branched-chain AA (BCAA) unbalance are unknown. A meal pattern analysis was performed to determine how pigs respond to the ingestion of a diet unbalanced in BCAA to identify the mechanisms responsible for the aversive response of such a diet. Eight female pigs (initial BW of 30.7±1.7 kg at 9 wk of age) received alternatively a diet either unbalanced in BCAA supply (i.e., a diet deficient in Val with an excess supply of Leu) or a control diet (i.e., a diet with a sufficient supply of Val with an excess supply of Leu) during 4 periods of 5 consecutive days. Feed consumption was monitored continuously to determine feeding behavior. Average daily feed intake of pigs receiving the diet unbalanced in BCAA was l3% less than that in pigs offered the control diet (P<0.01). Offering the unbalanced diet had no effect on meal size but reduced the number of meals from 9.9 to 8.5 per day (P<0.01). There was no difference between diets in intermeal interval but a slight trend for an increased meal duration from 14.5 to 16.3 min in pigs receiving the unbalanced diet (P=0.13). The rejection of feed appeared within the first 2 d after offering the unbalanced diet. The results of this experiment indicate that the BCAA unbalanced diet had no effect on satiety and satiation. After initiation of a meal, pigs ate a normal-sized meal and were hungry, but the increase in meal duration and a decrease in the number of meals inferred a negative alliesthesia (less pleasant) response to the BCAA unbalanced diet. On the basis of meal patterns, the rejection of a diet unbalanced in BCAA may not involve short-term mechanisms related to oropharyngeal and gastrointestinal receptors but may be triggered by postabsorptive signals.
authors: INRA, UMR1348 PEGASE, F-35590 Rennes, France.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Gloaguen
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Le Floc'h
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Corrent
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Primot
authors: D
authors: D
authors: Val-Laillet
authors: M C
authors: MC
authors: Meunier-Salaün
authors: J
authors: J
authors: van Milgen
mesh_terms: D000597:Amino Acids, Branched-Chain / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D013552:Swine / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000597:Amino Acids, Branched-Chain