THE INFLUENCE OF DIETARY FIBER ON PROTEIN DIGESTION AND UTILIZATION IN MONOGASTRICS

Current knowledge of the effects of dietary fibre and associated compo nents on protein digestibility and utilization are discussed. Based on the literature it could be shown that the implications and mechanisms behind the effect of soluble and insoluble dietary fibre on protein d igestibility and utilization are quite different. Insoluble dietary fi bre will increase faecal bulk and faecal nitrogen excretion is primari ly due to and increased excretion of cell wall bound protein. Contrary to this, soluble dietary fibre increase faecal bulk and faecal nitrog en due to an increased excretion of microbial nitrogen. A matter of co ntroversy is the influence of dietary fibre on endogenous nitrogen exc retion and factors affecting the losses of nitrogen in this way. It is not known if fibre acts as a secretogogue.