Abstract
Two experiments were carried out to examine the additional effect of a fiber mixture (FM) containing a ratio of 66.7% hemicellulose, 8.9% chitosan, 2.2% alginic acid and 22.2% isomalto-oligosaccharide. In Experiment 1, the rats were fed a fiber-free diet supplemented with 1%, 3%, 5% and 10% FM for 4 weeks and the dietary fiber content in FM was 67%. In Experiment 2, the rats were fed 12 kinds of diet for 9 days; that was the experimental diet of the content with 1%, 5%, 10% and 15% FM of each diet with 5%, 15% and 30% lard. A digestion test using the total collection method was carried out. The heat of combustion of the diet and feces was determined, and the apparent digestible energy in each diet was calculated. Transit time and fecal weight (g/100 fecal pellets) were investigated to understand the condition of fecal excretion. An increase in the intake of FM resulted in a greater energy loss from feces, and the apparent digestible energy content of the diet varied from 460 to 419kcal/100g (Exp. 1), and from 544 to 379 kcal/100g (Exp. 2). Transit time was significantly reduced in the diet supplemented with 5-10% FM (p<0.05), and the fecal weight was significantly increased by addition of 5% FM at all lard levels (Exp. 2). These studies demonstrate that the desirable ratio of apparent digestible energy to dietary fiber in the diet ranges from 76 to 135 kcal/g under the present conditions of fecal excretion.
