EFFECT OF DIETARY OLIGOSACCHARIDES ON THE DIGESTION OF PEA STARCH BY GROWING CHICKS

Oligosaccharides from pea meal were extracted with 80% methanol; after filtration, the solid residue was dried and the methanolic extract concentrated under vacuum and lyophilized. Seven-day-old chicks were randomly divided into three groups of eight birds and placed in individual cages. The chicks received diets containing 65% oligosaccharide-free pea residue with or without supplemental oligosaccharide dried extract (56 and 28 g kg-1 diet). At 28 days old, the chicks were killed and their intestinal tracts removed; the digesta from the jejunum, ileum and caeca were analysed for starch. No significant differences in weight gain and feed utilization were found among chicks. However, there was a significant increase in the length of jejunum, ileum and caeca when the concentration of oligosaccharides in the diet was increased. The presence of oligosaccharides in the diet decreased slightly the percentage of starch digested at the ileum, but starch digestibility was very high and similar in all diets after passage through the small intestine and caeca. These results indicate that the oligosaccharide content did not measurably affect the nutritional qualities of peas for chicks. © 1990.