Increasing Dietary Amylose Reduces Rate of Starch Digestion and Stimulates Microbial Fermentation in Weaned Pigs

Objectives Starch with increasing ratio of amylose to amylopectin decreases ileal starch digestibility in pigs. Microbes in the large intestine ferment undigested starch and produce short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). The benefits of SCFA in modulating gut health stimulated interest in dietary strategies to increase microbial carbohydrate fermentation and digesta SCFA in pigs and humans. We studied effects of increasing dietary amylose on SCFA and the expression of transporters of glucose (sodium-glucose cotransporter 1, SGLT1) and SCFA (monocarboxylic acid transporter 1, MCT1; sodium-coupled monocarboxylate transporter, SMCT), and sweet taste receptor type 1, member 3 (T1R3) along the intestine of weaned pigs.