Evaluation of oligosaccharide addition to dog diets: influences on nutrient digestion and microbial populations

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Abstract

Seven adult mixed breed female dogs (17.4±2.9 kg) surgically fitted with ileal T-cannulas were used in a 4×7 incomplete Latin square design experiment to evaluate oligosaccharide supplementation on dry matter (DM), nitrogen (N), ammonia, volatile fatty acid (VFA), bacteria, blood glucose concentrations, ileal pH, and fecal consistency. Fructooligosaccharide (FOS), mannanoligosaccharide (MOS), and xylooligosaccharide (XOS) were added at 5 g/kg of diet DM. There were no differences in DM digestibility, diet or fecal N, N digestibility, ileal or fecal ammonia, fecal consistency, ileal bacteria colony forming units, blood glucose, or ileal pH. Ileal butyrate proportion tended to be greater (P=0.07) in the control diet (0.076 of total VFA) compared with the oligosaccharide supplemented diets and lower (P=0.07) for the MOS diet compared with the FOS and XOS diets. Ileal propionate tended to be higher (P=0.09) in MOS (0.198 of total VFA) than FOS and XOS. Fecal bifidobacteria numbers were unaffected by dietary treatment. Fecal Clostridium perfringens tended to be lower (P=0.09) in MOS when compared to FOS and XOS. Oligosaccharides had relatively minor effects on bacterial growth in the large intestine and VFA proportions in the small intestine of the canine. For oligosaccharide feeding to cause microbial changes in the canine greater amounts of oligosaccharide may be required, or it may require application in select dietary situations.

Introduction

Oligosaccharides are naturally occurring carbohydrates that are commonly found in plants. Their chemical and physical properties may vary as a function of structure which can be linear or branched, linkages can be α or β, and the number and type of monomers can also vary. Most oligosaccharides are very similar to non-starch polysaccharides except that they are soluble in water and physiological fluids. The small intestine does not contain the digestive enzymes required to break down these structures; therefore, these carbohydrates will enter the large intestine in an intact form.

The amount and type of fermentable carbohydrate that arrives in the human colon is one of the primary factors that limits the growth of the resident bacterial population (Cummings and Macfarlane, 1991). The bacteria that can most rapidly degrade and use the digesta will proliferate beyond the others (Cummings and Macfarlane, 1991). Bacteria comprise 0.40–0.50 of the fecal solids in humans on a Western diet (Stephen and Cummings, 1980).

While the biological effects of fructooligosaccharides have been varied, often they have been shown to decrease constipation, blood pressure, blood lipids, and cholesterol in humans (Hidaka et al., 1986). Fructooligosaccharides fed to humans also decrease mean fasting blood glucose, mean serum cholesterol, and LDL cholesterol in diabetic subjects (Yamashita et al., 1984). Rats fed a diet containing oligofructose had a significant reduction in total mass of body fat as well as decreased lipidemia and a decreased intrahepatic lipid concentration (Delzenne et al., 1993).

Mannanoligosaccharides have been suggested to adsorb high proportions of pathogens including certain Salmonella and Clostridium species, as well as Escherischia coli K:88 (Newman, 1994). Spring et al. (2000) challenged 3-day-old chicks with S. dublin and reported lower cecal colonization at 10 days post challenge for chicks fed mannanoligosaccharides.

Xylooligosaccharides, as with other oligosaccharides, are not hydrolyzed in the small intestine and reach the colon in an intact form. They like fructooligosaccharides can then be used as a substrate for bifidobacteria (Bunce et al., 1995a, Okazaki et al., 1990).

Manipulating intestinal microflora through supplementation of oligosaccharides has the potential to alter the colonization of enteric bacteria, thereby, affecting the overall health of the host. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate ileal and total tract effects on nutrient digestion and microbial populations when oligosaccharides are added to dog diets.

Section snippets

Dogs

Seven adult, mixed breed female dogs with body weights of 17.4±2.9 kg were used in this experiment to evaluate the effect of oligosaccharide addition to diets on nutrient digestion and microbial populations. All seven dogs had been surgically fitted with a polyvinyl chloride T-cannula 6–10 cm from the ileal–cecal junction (Walker et al., 1994). All procedures described herein were approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

The animals were located in the Division of Laboratory

Dry matter

Oligosaccharide addition to diets had no effect on body weight, DM intake, fecal DM excretion, or DM flow to the ileum (Table 2). Fecal moisture tended to be higher (P=0.09) in the control compared with the oligosaccharide diets. Fecal moisture will be higher in diets containing soluble fiber (pectin and starch) than insoluble fiber (corn fiber and cellulose; Lewis et al., 1994). However, the differences in fiber in the present study were relatively small.

The amount of feces excreted on a DM

Conclusion

Oligosaccharide action is dose dependent as well as structure specific. Their addition to diets is advantageous when they alter the colonic microbiota in favor of beneficial bacteria or increase the production of VFA which can be used by the host for energy or for maintaining healthier gastrointestinal tissues. The overall effect is manipulation of the ecology of the gastrointestinal tract.

Supplementing the canine with 5 g/kg oligosaccharides produced minor changes in fecal moisture, ammonia,

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