The Digestion of Total and Cell Wall Monosaccharides of Alfalfa by Sheep

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Abstract
The effect of dietary starch on the digestibility of total and cell wall (CW) monosaccharides of alfalfa hay, was examined in sheep equipped with rumen and duodenal cannulas. The experiment consisted of two treatments. In one of them the sheep received 803 g dry matter (DM) of alfalfa hay (A), and in the second, 242 g DM alfalfa hay + 553 g of a purified starchy concentrate mixture (A + conct). Rumen volume was not significantly different between treatments, but the mean retention time of markers in the rumen was shorter, and their rate of passage was faster in the A treatment than in the A + conct treatment. The overall digestibility of total CWs and CW constituents was not depressed in the A + conct treatment, the values for total CW being: 58.2 and 58.9% for the A and A + conct treatments, respectively. However, the digestion of CW monosaccharides in the rumen of the A + conct sheep was reduced despite the 100% longer retention time of particles in the rumen. The complimentary digestion of the potentially digestible CW monosaccharides has been completed in the hindgut. The digestibility of CW glucose was higher (72%) than that of xylose (57%) in both treatments. CW glucuronic acid was the least digestible constituent (40%). Soluble uronic acids, representing the pectic material, were highly digestible (86.5% in A), but this was reduced to 80.3 in the A + conct treatment.

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