In this study, potato fiber was evaluated as a potential fiber source in dog food. The fiber contained 55 percent total dietary fiber, 29 percent starch, 4 percent crude protein and 2 percent acid-hydrolized fat. The potato fiber substrate was evaluated for chemical composition, in vitro digestion and fermentation characteristics, and in vivo responses.
For the in vivo experiment, 10 female mixed breed dogs were provided five diets with graded concentrations of potato fiber. Dogs were acclimated to the test diet for 10 days followed by four days of total fecal collection. In vitro digestion revealed that raw and cooked potato fibers were 32.3 percent and 27.9 percent digested enzymatically, while in vitro fermentation showed that the fiber was fermentable through 9 hours. Raw fiber had greater acetate, propionate and total short-chain fatty acid concentrations at the 12-hour time point compared with cooked fiber. There were no differences in apparent total tract DM, OM, CP, acid-hydrolyzed fat or energy digestibility of diets containing graded concentrations of potato fiber. However, total dietary fiber digestibility exhibited a linear increase with increasing fiber concentrations in the diet. Overall, linear increases were observed for all individual and total short-chain fatty acids, with a concomitant linear decrease in fecal pH with increasing dietary potato fiber.
These findings indicated that inclusion of potato fiber elicited favorable fermentation characteristics without negatively affecting nutrient digestibility or stool characteristics, indicating that potato fiber could be a functional dietary fiber source in dog foods.
Source: M.R. Panasevich, 2013. Potato fiber as a dietary fiber source in dog foods. J Anim Sci online, September 2013. doi: 10.2527/jas.2013-6842.
