EXOCRINE PANCREATIC SECRETIONS IN YOUNG-PIGS FED DIETS CONTAINING FABA BEANS (VICIA-FABA) AND PEAS (PISUM-SATIVUM) - NITROGEN, PROTEIN AND ENZYME SECRETIONS

Two experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of feeding diets containing faba beans and peas on pancreatic secretions in young pigs fitted with a pancreatic pouch re-entrant cannula. In Experiment 1, eight barrows, with an average initial weight of 8.5 kg, were fed one of two maize starch-based diets formulated to contain 200 g crude protein (CP) kg(-1) according to a completely randomised design. In on e of the diets, soya bean meal was the sole protein source; in the oth er diet, soya bean meal and faba beans (cv Fibro; dark-flowering) each supplied 50% of the dietary CP. In Experiment 2, five barrows, with a n average initial weight of 18.1 kg, were fed one of two diets accordi ng to a two-period change-over design. The diets were formulated to co ntain 150 g CP kg(-1) with peas (cv Ascona or cv Radley) as the sole p rotein source. In both experiments, the experimental periods consisted of 8 days: 6 days adaptation followed by a 2 day collection of pancre atic juice. The soya bean meal diet and the faba bean diet contained 0 .04 and 0.21% tannins (catechin equivalents), respectively. The trypsi n inhibitor activities of the Ascona and Radley pea diets were 0.76 an d 3.24 mg of trypsin inhibited per gram, respectively. In both experim ents, diet did not affect (P > 0.05) the pancreatic secretions of nitr ogen, protein, amylase, lipase and chymotrypsin. In Experiment 1, spec ific trypsin activity was higher (P < 0.05) in pancreatic juice from p igs fed the diet containing soya bean meal and faba beans (53700 units litre(-1)) than for those fed the soya bean meal diet (41200 units li tre(-1)). However, there was no effect (P > 0.05) when trypsin activit y was expressed as total activity (units 24 h(-1)). It is concluded th at the inclusion of faba beans and peas in diets for young pigs has on ly minor effects on exocrine pancreatic secretions.