EFFECTS ON ILEAL APPARENT DIGESTIBILITY IN THE GROWING PIG OF REPLACING BARLEY WITH BRAN, OATMEAL BY-PRODUCT, GUAR GUM AND PECTIN

In two experiments using a total of nine growing pigs initially about 25 kg liveweight and 10 weeks of age and fitted with simple T-shaped cannulae about 15 cm from the ileo-caecal junction, studies were made of the effects on ileal apparent digestibility of replacing barley, in barley-based diets, with 225 g kg-1 diet of either bran (BR) or oatmeal by-product (OB) and 50 g kg-1 diet of either guar gum (G) or pectin (P). All replacements depressed the apparent digestibility of the dry matter, ether extract, nitrogen, nitrogen-free extract and gross energy fractions but only the OB replacement effect on dry matter was significant. The BR significantly depressed the apparent digestibility of proline but all other amino acids were not significantly affected by diet and showed no consistent trend of either increase or decrease.