Table 4.
Effect of diet on characteristics of digesta in piglets fed the experimental diets (n = 8)a
| Item | Gluconic acid (g/kg) | SEM | P | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 9 | 18 | |||
| Stomach | |||||
| pH | 3.7 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 0.2 | 0.05 |
| Dry matter (g/kg) | 238 | 270 | 237 | 1 | 0.248 |
| Proximal small intestine | |||||
| pH | 4.9 | 5 | 4.9 | 0.1 | 0.991 |
| Dry matter (g/kg) | 103 | 107 | 91 | 5 | 0.473 |
| Distal small intestine | |||||
| pH | 6.3 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 0.1 | 0.594 |
| Dry matter (g/kg) | 98 | 90 | 92 | 6 | 0.866 |
| E. coli (log10 CFUb/g) | 6.4 | 5.8 | 5.5 | 0.2 | 0.064 |
| Streptococci (log10 CFU/g) | 7.3 | 7.3 | 7.4 | 0.1 | 0.87 |
| Lactobacilli (log10 CFU/g) | 7.5 | 7.5 | 7.8 | 0.1 | 0.525 |
| Total anaerobes (log10 CFU/g) | 7 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 0.1 | 0.385 |
| Acetate (μmol/g) | 4.6 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 0.3 | 0.396 |
| Propionate (μmol/g) | 1.1 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.138 |
| Lactate (μmol/g) | 39.9 | 35.9 | 42.5 | 5.7 | 0.914 |
| Caecum | |||||
| pH | 5.3 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 0.1 | 0.477 |
| Dry matter (g/kg) | 105 | 121 | 110 | 5 | 0.438 |
| Mid-colon | |||||
| pH | 5.8 | 5.8 | 5.9 | 0.1 | 0.632 |
| Dry matter (g/kg) | 182 | 200 | 199 | 10 | 0.732 |
aPiglets were sampled on d 21
bCFU colony forming units