Adaptation of healthy cats to dietary fibers

Nine young adult male cats were used to determine the effects of microbial adaptation to select dietary fiber sources on changes in pH in vitro, total and hydrogen gas, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and branched-chain fatty acid (BCFA) production. Cats were adapted to diets containing 4% cellulose, fructooligosaccharides (FOS) or pectin for 30 days prior to fecal sampling.

Nine young adult male cats were used to determine the effects of microbial adaptation to select dietary fiber sources on changes in pH in vitro, total and hydrogen gas, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and branched-chain fatty acid (BCFA) production. Cats were adapted to diets containing 4% cellulose, fructooligosaccharides (FOS) or pectin for 30 days prior to fecal sampling.

Adaptation to dietary FOS resulted in a greater change in pH when exposed to FOS than pectin. When exposed to the FOS substrate, adaptation to dietary FOS or pectin increased hydrogen gas production. Adaptation to dietary FOS increased acetate and total SCFA production when exposed to FOS substrate in vitro.

When exposed to the FOS substrate, propionate production tended to increase with adaptation to dietary cellulose. The BCFA + valerate tended to decrease with adaptation to dietary FOS when exposed to FOS substrate in vitro. FOS resulted in the greatest change in pH and production of total gas, hydrogen gas, acetate, propionate, butyrate, total SCFA and total BCFA + valerate production.

Adaptation to either FOS or pectin led to greater SCFA and gas production, but adaptation to FOS resulted in the greatest effect overall.

Source : K.A. Barry et al., 2011. Adaptation of healthy adult cats to select dietary fibers in vivo affects gas and short-chain fatty acid production from fiber fermentation in vitro. J Anim Sci online April 2011. doi: 10.2527/jas.2010-3445

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