Effect of carob bean gum, spray dried porcine plasma and sanguinarine on fermentation activity in the gut of weanling pigs

Abstract Sixty landrace piglets received either a control diet or a control diet with added carob bean gum (CBG), spray dried porcine plasma (SDPP) or sanguinarine, to test the effects on fermentation end-product profiles along the GI tract. After animals were euthanized digesta samples were obtained from the mid-jejunum, distal ileum, caecum, proximal and distal colon at days d0, d1, d2, d6 and d14 post-weaning. Volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration in the caecum and proximal colon was larger than that in the distal colon, the ileum and mid-jejunum ( P 3 concentration in the ileum, ceacum and proximal colon was higher compared to d1 and d2 ( P Results indicated that at the moment of weaning considerable fermentation activity occurs. During the weaning period fermentation in the ileum, caecum and proximal colon shifted from a proteolytic to a carbohydrate type of fermentation. Addition of CBG, sanguinarine and SDPP only resulted in a numerical decrease of fermentation end-product in the caecum and proximal colon during the first days post-weaning.