The Fraction of Dietary Lactose Available for Fermentation in the Cecum and Colon of Pigs

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Abstract
Fourteen market-weight pigs of each breed, Hampshire and Chester White, were used to estimate the fraction of lactose in a 40% dried whey diet (30% lactose) which becomes available for microbial fermentation in the cecum and colon. Approximately 32 and 30% of the lactose consumed in a 1-hr feeding flowed into the large intestine over the ensuing 5 hr in Hampshire and Chester White pigs, respectively. The emptying rates of Cr-EDTA from the stomach were higher than for dry matter during the first 3 hours. However, lactose and Cr-EDTA left the stomach at the same rate. More than 70% of the Cr-EDTA consumed had passed into the large intestine by 5 hours. The pH of cecal and colonic contents decreased (P<.05) with time after feeding and the dry matter of the colonic contents also decreased (P<.05) with time after feeding. These results indicate that a substantial fraction of lactose is available for microbial fermentation in the large intestine of pigs fed a diet containing high levels of lactose. Copyright © 1978. American Society of Animal Science . Copyright 1978 by American Society of Animal Science.