MECHANISM FOR THE INCREASED DEFECATION AND JEJUNUM MUCOSAL PROTEIN-CONTENT IN RATS BY FEEDING GERMINATED BARLEY FOODSTUFF

We investigated the effects of germinated barley foodstuff (GBF) on th e fecal excretion and jejunum mucosal protein content in male Sprague- Dawley rats fed on various diets with the same protein and dietary fib er levels, Under these experimental conditions, GBF was confirmed to i nduce greater fecal output compared with commercial water-soluble or - insoluble dietary fibers, While the dietary fiber extracted from CBF i ncreased the fecal output and mucosal protein content, the protein fra ction of GBF degraded to the peptide form did not increase the fecal o utput or mucosal protein content, Increased mucosal protein and fecal output were thus found to require the presence of the dietary fiber fr action or possibly the protein fraction bound tightly to the dietary f iber of GBF, GBF feeding increased the volatile fatty acids concentrat ion in the cecum, indicating that GBF may be efficiently fermented in the intestinal tract.