Evaluation of Pre-Cecal, Ileal Digestibility and Glycemic Response in Fistulated Horses Fed with Different Starch Sources

Alexandre Augustode Oliveira Gobesso¹, Mariano Etchichury¹, José Esler de Freitas Jr.¹, Francisco Palma Rennó¹, Hugo Tosi²

¹Department of Nutrition and Animal Production, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, University of Sao Paulo, Pirassununga, Brazil.
²Department of Animal Science, Sao Paulo State University, Jaboticabal, Brazil.

DOI: 10.4236/fns.2015.61016                

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the coefficients of pre-cecal, ileal digestibility, and glycemic response in cannulated horses fed with different starch sources. Four male horses were used in a 4 × 4 Balanced Latin Square cannulated in the cecum, with 36 months of age and average weight of 350 kg. The horses were fed with hay and the following sources of starch in concentrates: 1) corn (C); 2) oats (O); 3) sorghum (S); and 4) corn/oats (CO). The experiment consisted of four periods of eighteen days each, being the first twelve days of adaptation and six days to collect samples. There was no difference in cecal and ileal digestibility of starch, CP, ADF, NDF and OM among diets evaluated. However, horses fed with oats diet had higher values of pre-cecal apparent digestibility of DM in relation at the horses fed to sorghum and corn/oats diets. The values of CF digestibility were higher for equines fed with oats and sorghum diet compared to corn/oats diet. The horses fed with corn/oats diet had lower plasma glucose concentrations 30 minutes before the supply and higher insulin concentrations 210 minutes after ingestion of the foods. The digestibility of nutrients in equine diets, in pre-cecal and pre-ileal evaluation, presents significant differences, depending on the starch source provided, oat, corn or sorghum. The plasma glucose concentrations are directly correlated with the digestibility of starch.

Keywords

Horses, Pre-Cecal Digestibility, Fistula, Ileum, Glucose

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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