Exclusion of the Exocrine Pancreatic Secretion: Effect on Digestibility of Soybean and Milk Protein by Baby Pigs at Various Ages

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Abstract
This study was undertaken to evaluate the role of the pancreas in the digestion of protein from soybean and milk sources as a function of age by the baby pig. Protein and dry matter digestibility were determined using baby pigs with ligated pancreatic ducts and sham operated control animals. Milk protein produced faster and more efficient gains than soybean protein in the diets of baby pigs. Protein and dry matter digestibility were significantly reduced by the exclusion of pancreatic secretion into the duodenum. The reduction in digestibility was of a greater magnitude for pigs fed a soybean protein diet than pigs fed a milk protein diet. The evidence indicates that the relative role of the pancreas in the overall digestive process decreased very slightly in the case of the soybean protein with advancing age but remained relatively unchanged in the case of the milk protein, and that the efficiency of the whole digestive system except the pancreas improves considerably with advancing age in the case of soybean protein and improves to a lesser degree in the case of milk protein.