Measurement of transit time of digesta through sections of gastrointestinal tract of pigs fed with diets containing various sources of dietary fibre (non-starch polysaccharides)

The effects of various sources of dietary fibre (defined as non-starch polysaccharides (NSP] on the transit time (TT) of digesta through sections of digestive tract were measured in pigs of 30-85 kg. The pigs were fitted with simple cannulas in the terminal ileum, caecum and mid-colon. Diets in experiments 1-3 were based on barley, wheat, soya bean meal and fish meal with NSP added in the form of wood cellulose (experiment 1), guar gum (experiment 2), wheat bran, pectin (experiment 3). Lactulose was also included in experiment 3 because of its NSP-like effects. Diets in experiments 4 and 5 were based on starch and casein and contained Phaseoluos vulgaris or Pisum sativum (experiment 4) and sugar beet pulp or wheat bran (experiment 5). Transit time (TT) was measured using 103Ruthenium phenanthroline to label solids and 51Chromium complexed to EDTA for liquids. Samples were taken every 3 h after marker administration for 51 h from all cannulas and the faecal output was collected every 3 h. The values obtained were very variable. The range of TT (h) defined as first arrival of markers and peak marker level was 3-12.2 and 3-12.2 to the ileum, 3-22.3 and 4.5-22.3 to the caecum, 4.5-50.3 and 16.5-48.8 to the colon and 24- less than 51 and 30- less than 51 to the rectum respectively.