The effect of lactic acid supplementation to the starter diet, on pancreatic secretion in pigs after weaning was studied in three crossbred piglets (Duroc, Danish Landrace and Yorkshire). The pigs were weaned at 28 days of age, and adapted to live in metabolic cages for one week, after which the piglets were surgically fitted with a pancreatic duct catheter and a duodenal T-cannula for chronic collection of the pancreatic juice. Studies were then carried out over a period of three weeks, during which the piglets were fed three times a day (at 08.00, 15.00, and 22.00 h). During period I , the piglets were fed with a standard weaner diet (control), during period II with a standard weaner diet supplemented with 2.5 % lactic acid period (lactic acid) and during period III with a standard wea ner diet (control). Beginning four days after surgery, samples of pancreatic juice were taken hourly from 08.00 to 16.00 h. During period II , when lactic acid was added to the feed, the mean for all measured parameters of pancreatic secretion, except bicarbonate, increased in comparison to their values during period I . However this increase was only significant for volume and protein content. In contrast, during period III , when lactic acid was removed, there were no statistically significant changes in any of the measured parameters of pancreatic secretion compared to their values in period II. Our data strongly indicate that dietary supplementation with lactic acid stimulates pancre atic secretion in piglets after weaning.

Duodenal electromyography (emg) was studied in conscious piglets during the suckling and postweaning period. In suckling piglets, emg showed regular, repeating migrating myoelectric complex (MMC) cycles, each of which was composed of the classical phases I, II and III. During the early postweaning period (1-10 days) feeding with solid feed influenced the duodenal emg. The duration of phase I after weaning was significantly shorter than that before weaning (3.3 vs. 10.6 min, P<0.01), representing a decrease in duration from 14.6 to 4.6% of the whole MMC (P<0.01). On the other hand, phase II increased from 79.9 to 89.6% (P<0.01) after the change in diet. Feeding sow's milk did not disrupt the MMC pattern, however voluntary feed intake of solid feed induced continuous spiking activity of the duodenum for a period of 124 min.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract