Abstract
To evaluate the effects of two different fractions of barley bran on gastrointestinal function and lipid metabolism, five weeks old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing cellulose powder (control), wheat bran (WB), outer layer of barley bran (BB-30) and inner layer of barley bran (BB-60) at 5% dietary fiber level for 4 wks. An increase of cecal weight, a lowered pH of cecal contents and a shortening of gastrointestinal transit time in the BB-60 group were significant in comparison with those in the other three groups, respectively. Fecal moisture and butyric acid production in cecal contents of the BB-60 group were significantly higher than those of the BB-30 group. The hepatic cholesterol and triacylglycerol concentrations in the bran-fed groups were significantly higher or higher tendency than those in the control group. These results suggest that BB-60 is different from BB-30 and rather similar to WB on some aspects of gastrointestinal functions, and this phenomenon may be attributed to the difference of dietary fiber composition.
