Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-x5gtn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-06-06T22:18:37.897Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A titration approach to identify the capacity for starch digestion in milk-fed calves

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 September 2014

M. S. Gilbert ,
J. J. G. C van den Borne ,
H. Berends ,
A. J. Pantophlet ,
H. A. Schols  and
W. J. J. Gerrits
M. S. Gilbert*
Affiliation:
Animal Nutrition Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
J. J. G. C van den Borne
Affiliation:
Animal Nutrition Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
H. Berends
Affiliation:
Animal Nutrition Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
A. J. Pantophlet
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics; Center for Liver, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases, University Medical Centre Groningen, PO Box 30001, 9713 GZ, Groningen, The Netherlands
H. A. Schols
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Food Chemistry, Wageningen University, PO Box 17, 6700 AA, Wageningen, The Netherlands
W. J. J. Gerrits
Affiliation:
Animal Nutrition Group, Wageningen University, PO Box 338, 6700 AH, Wageningen, The Netherlands
*
†E-mail: Myrthe.Gilbert@wur.nl
Get access

Abstract

Calf milk replacers (MR) commonly contain 40% to 50% lactose. For economic reasons, starch is of interest as a lactose replacer. Compared with lactose, starch digestion is generally low in calves. It is, however, unknown which enzyme limits the rate of starch digestion. The objectives were to determine which enzyme limits starch digestion and to assess the maximum capacity for starch digestion in milk-fed calves. A within-animal titration study was performed, where lactose was exchanged stepwise for one of four starch products (SP). The four corn-based SP differed in size and branching, therefore requiring different ratios of starch-degrading enzymes for their complete hydrolysis to glucose: gelatinised starch (α-amylase and (iso)maltase); maltodextrin ((iso)maltase and α-amylase); maltodextrin with α-1,6-branching (isomaltase, maltase and α-amylase) and maltose (maltase). When exceeding the animal’s capacity to enzymatically hydrolyse starch, fermentation occurs, leading to a reduced faecal dry matter (DM) content and pH. Forty calves (13 weeks of age) were assigned to either a lactose control diet or one of four titration strategies (n=8 per treatment), each testing the stepwise exchange of lactose for one SP. Dietary inclusion of each SP was increased weekly by 3% at the expense of lactose and faecal samples were collected from the rectum weekly to determine DM content and pH. The increase in SP inclusion was stopped when faecal DM content dropped below 10.6% (i.e. 75% of the average initial faecal DM content) for 3 consecutive weeks. For control calves, faecal DM content and pH did not change over time. For 87% of the SP-fed calves, faecal DM and pH decreased already at low inclusion levels, and linear regression provided a better fit of the data (faecal DM content or pH v. time) than non-linear regression. For all SP treatments, faecal DM content and pH decreased in time (P<0.001) and slopes for faecal DM content and pH in time differed from CON; P<0.001 for all SP), but did not differ between SP treatments. Faecal DM content of SP-fed calves decreased by 0.57% and faecal pH by 0.32 per week. In conclusion, faecal DM content and pH sensitively respond to incremental inclusion of SP in calf MR, independently of SP characteristics. All SP require maltase to achieve complete hydrolysis to glucose. We therefore suggest that maltase activity limits starch digestion and that fermentation may contribute substantially to total tract starch disappearance in milk-fed calves.

Keywords

milk-fed calfstarch digestionstarch fermentationmaltosemaltodextrin
Type
Research Article
Information
animal , Volume 9 , Issue 2 , February 2015 , pp. 249 - 257
Copyright
© The Animal Consortium 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Branco, AF, Harmon, DL, Bohnert, DW, Larson, BT and Bauer, ML 1999. Estimating true digestibility of nonstructural carbohydrates in the small intestine of steers. Journal of Animal Science 77, 1889–1895.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Burt, AWA and Irvine, SM 1970. Carbohydrates in milk replacers for calves. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 21, 342–346.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Coombe, NB and Smith, RH 1974. Digestion and absorption of starch, maltose and lactose by the preruminant calf. British Journal of Nutrition 31, 227–235.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Corring, T and Saucier, R 1972. Sécrétion pancréatique sur porc fistulé – Adaptation a la teneur en protéines du régime. Annales de Biologie Animale, Biochimie, Biophysique 12, 233–241.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Deschodt-Lanckman, M, Robberecht, P, Camus, J and Christophe, J 1971. Short-term adaptation of pancreatic hydrolases to nutritional and physiological stimuli in adult rats. Biochimie 53, 789–796.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Dona, AC, Pages, G, Gilbert, RG and Kuchel, PW 2010. Digestion of starch: in vivo and in vitro kinetic models used to characterise oligosaccharide or glucose release. Carbohydrate Polymers 80, 599–617.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Flipse, RJ, Huffman, CF, Duncan, CW and Webster, HD 1950. Carbohydrate utilization in the young calf. II. The nutritive value of starch and the effect of lactose on the nutritive values of starch and corn syrup in synthetic milk. Journal of Dairy Science 33, 557–564.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Howard, F and Yudkin, J 1963. Effect of dietary change upon the amylase and trypsin activities of the rat pancreas. British Journal of Nutrition 17, 281–294.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huber, JT, Keith, JM and Rifkin, RJ 1964. Effect of level of lactose upon lactase concentrations in the small intestines of young calves. Journal of Dairy Science 47, 789–792.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Huber, JT, Natrajan, S and Polan, CE 1968. Varying levels of starch in calf milk replacers. Journal of Dairy Science 51, 1081–1084.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Huber, JT, Jacobson, NL, McGilliard, AD and Allen, RS 1961. Utilization of carbohydrates introduced directly into the omaso-abomasal area of stomach of cattle of various ages. Journal of Dairy Science 44, 321–330.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
ISO 1999. Animal feeding stuffs. Determination of moisture and other volatile matter content. ISO 6496. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland.Google Scholar
Koops, WJ and Grossman, M 1993. Multiphasic allometry. Growth, Development and Aging 57, 183–192.Google ScholarPubMed
Kreikemeier, KK and Harmon, DL 1995. Abomasal glucose, maize starch and maize dextrin infusions in cattle – small intestinal disappearance, net portal glucose flux and ileal oligosaccharide flow. British Journal of Nutrition 73, 763–772.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kreikemeier, KK, Harmon, DL, Brandt, RT Jr, Avery, TB and Johnson, DE 1991. Small intestinal starch digestion in steers – effect of various levels of abomasal glucose, corn starch and corn dextrin infusion on small intestinal disappearance and net glucose absorption. Journal of Animal Science 69, 328–338.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Le Huerou, I, Guilloteau, P, Wicker, C, Mouats, A, Chayvialle, JA, Bernard, C, Burton, J, Toullec, R and Puigserver, A 1992. Activity distribution of 7 digestive enzymes along small intestine in calves during development and weaning. Digestive Diseases and Sciences 37, 40–46.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mayes, RW and Ørskov, ER 1974. The utilization of gelled maize starch in the small intestine of sheep. British Journal of Nutrition 32, 143–153.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Morrill, JL, Stewart, WE, McCormick, RJ and Fryer, HC 1970. Pancreatic amylase secretion by young calves. Journal of Dairy Science 53, 72–78.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mosenthin, R, Sauer, WC and Ahrens, F 1994. Dietary pectin's effect on ileal and fecal amino acid digestibility and exocrine pancreatic secretions in growing pigs. The Journal of Nutrition 124, 1222–1229.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Natrajan, S, Polan, CE, Chandler, PT, Jahn, E and Huber, JT 1972. Ruminal and post-ruminal utilization of starch in the young bovine. Journal of Dairy Science 55, 238–244.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nitsan, Z, Ben-Asher, A, Nir, I and Zoref, Z 1990. Utilization of raw or heat-treated starch fed in liquid diet to pre-ruminants. 1. Calves. Reproduction Nutrition Development 30, 507–514.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ørskov, ER, Fraser, C, Mason, VC and Mann, SO 1970. Influence of starch digestion in the large intestine of sheep on caecal fermentation, caecal microflora and faecal nitrogen excretion. British Journal of Nutrition 24, 671–682.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Roy, JHB 1969. Diarrhoea of nutritional origin. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 28, 160–170.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sen, I, Constable, PD and Marshall, TS 2006. Effect of suckling isotonic or hypertonic solutions of sodium bicarbonate or glucose on abomasal emptying rate in calves. American Journal of Veterinary Research 67, 1377–1384.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Siddons, RC 1968. Carbohydrase activities in the bovine digestive tract. Biochemical Journal 108, 839–844.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Swanson, KC, Matthews, JC, Woods, CA and Harmon, DL 2002. Postruminal administration of partially hydrolyzed starch and casein influences pancreatic α-amylase expression in calves. The Journal of Nutrition 132, 376–381.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Toofanian, F, Hill, FWG and Kidder, DE 1973. The mucosal disaccharidases in the small intestine of the calf. Annales de Recherches Vétérinaires 4, 57–69.Google Scholar
Van den Borne, JJGC, Verstegen, MWA, Alferink, SJJ, Giebels, RMM and Gerrits, WJJ 2006. Effects of feeding frequency and feeding level on nutrient utilization in heavy preruminant calves. Journal of Dairy Science 89, 3578–3586.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Van Es, AJH, Nijkamp, HJ, Van Weerden, EJ and Van Hellemond, KK 1967. Energy, carbon and nitrogen balance experiments with veal calves. In Energy metabolism of farm animals (ed. KL Blaxter, J Kielanowski and G Thorbek), pp. 197–201. Oriel Press, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.Google Scholar
Walker, JA and Harmon, DL 1995. Influence of ruminal or abomasal starch hydrolysate infusion on pancreatic exocrine secretion and blood glucose and insulin concentrations in steers. Journal of Animal Science 73, 3766–3774.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Zhao, J, Schols, HA, Chen, Z, Jin, Z, Buwalda, P and Gruppen, H 2012. Substituent distribution within cross-linked and hydroxypropylated sweet potato starch and potato starch. Food Chemistry 133, 1333–1340.CrossRefGoogle Scholar