This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowReprints and Permissions
Right arrow Copyright Information
Right arrow Books from ASM Press
Right arrow MicrobeWorld
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Højberg, O.
Right arrow Articles by Jensen, B. B.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Højberg, O.
Right arrow Articles by Jensen, B. B.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Højberg, O.
Right arrow Articles by Jensen, B. B.

 Previous Article  |  Next Article 

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2003, p. 408-418, Vol. 69, No. 1
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.1.408-418.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Potential Rates of Fermentation in Digesta from the Gastrointestinal Tract of Pigs: Effect of Feeding Fermented Liquid Feed

Ole Højberg,* Nuria Canibe, Bettina Knudsen, and Bent Borg Jensen

Microbiology Section, Department of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Research Centre Foulum, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark

Received 19 July 2002/ Accepted 25 October 2002

Microbial catabolic capacity in digesta from the gastrointestinal tract of pigs fed either dry feed or fermented liquid feed (FLF) was determined with the PhenePlate multisubstrate system. The in vitro technique was modified to analyze the kinetics of substrate catabolism mediated by the standing stock of enzymes (potential rates of fermentation), allowing a quantitative evaluation of the dietary effect on the catabolic capacity of the microbiota. In total, the potential rates of fermentation were significantly reduced in digesta from the large intestine (cecum, P < 0.1; colon, P < 0.01; and rectum, P < 0.0001) of pigs fed FLF compared to pigs fed dry feed. No effect of diet was observed in the stomach (P = 0.71) or the distal part of the small intestine (P = 0.97). The highest rates of fermentation and the most significant effect of diet were observed for readily fermentable carbohydrates like maltose, sucrose, and lactose. Feeding FLF to pigs also led to a reduction in the large intestine of the total counts of anaerobic bacteria in general and lactic acid bacteria specifically, as well as of microbial activity, as determined by the concentration of ATP and short-chain fatty acids. The low-molecular-weight carbohydrates were fermented mainly to lactic acid in the FLF before being fed to the animals. This may have limited microbial nutrient availability in the digesta reaching the large intestine of pigs fed FLF and may have caused the observed reduction in activity and density of the cecal and colonic microbial population. On the other hand, feeding FLF to pigs reduced the viable counts of coliform bacteria (indicator of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp.) most profoundly in the stomach and the distal part of the small intestine, probably due to the bactericidal effect of lactic acid and low pH. The results presented clearly demonstrate that feeding FLF to pigs had a great impact on the indigenous microbiota, as reflected in bacterial numbers, short-chain fatty acid concentration, and substrate utilization. However, completely different mechanisms may be involved in the proximal and the distal parts of the gastrointestinal tract. The present study illustrates the utility of the PhenePlate system for quantifying the catabolic capacity of the indigenous gastrointestinal tract microbiota.

* Corresponding author. Mailing address: Microbiology Section, Department of Animal Nutrition and Physiology, Research Centre Foulum, Danish Institute of Agricultural Sciences, DK-8830 Tjele, Denmark. Phone: 45 8999 1183. Fax: 45 8999 1378. E-mail: ole.hojberg{at}agrsci.dk.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology, January 2003, p. 408-418, Vol. 69, No. 1
0099-2240/03/$08.00+0     DOI: 10.1128/AEM.69.1.408-418.2003
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.



This article has been cited by other articles:

  • Gerard-Champod, M., Blanquet-Diot, S., Mazuranok, L., Alric, M. (2009). Enumeration of some cultivable bacterial groups and characterization of some abiotic variables in the jejunoileal content of Prim'Holstein veal calves. J ANIM SCI 87: 1664-1675 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Canibe, N., Hojberg, O., Badsberg, J. H., Jensen, B. B. (2007). Effect of feeding fermented liquid feed and fermented grain on gastrointestinal ecology and growth performance in piglets. J ANIM SCI 85: 2959-2971 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Gaudier, E., Michel, C., Segain, J.-P., Cherbut, C., Hoebler, C. (2005). The VSL# 3 Probiotic Mixture Modifies Microflora but Does Not Heal Chronic Dextran-Sodium Sulfate-Induced Colitis or Reinforce the Mucus Barrier in Mice. J. Nutr. 135: 2753-2761 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Hojberg, O., Canibe, N., Poulsen, H. D., Hedemann, M. S., Jensen, B. B. (2005). Influence of Dietary Zinc Oxide and Copper Sulfate on the Gastrointestinal Ecosystem in Newly Weaned Piglets. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 71: 2267-2277 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
  • Nilsson, A. I., Kugelberg, E., Berg, O. G., Andersson, D. I. (2004). Experimental Adaptation of Salmonella typhimurium to Mice. Genetics 168: 1119-1130 [Abstract] [Full Text]  


Copyright © 2009 by the American Society for Microbiology.   For an alternate route to Journals.ASM.org, visit: http://intl-journals.asm.org | More Info»