Quantification of the absorption of nutrients derived from carbohydrate assimilation: model experiment with catheterised pigs fed on wheat- or oat-based rolls

The main purpose of this study was to quantify the absorption of nutrients derived from carbohydrate assimilation in a model experiment with catheteri sed pigs. A low-fibre (LF) diet based on wheat flour and two high-fibre die ts with added insoluble fibre from wheat bran (HFWB) or soluble fibre from oat bran (HFOB) were used. The diets were offered as baked rolls to three c atheterised pigs in a 3x3 Latin square design. The pigs were surgically fit ted with catheters placed in the portal vein and mesenteric artery and with an ultrasonic flow probe attached to the portal vein to monitor the blood- flow rate. The pigs were fed the diets three times daily and portal and art erial blood samples collected twice weekly up to 8 h after the morning feed ing. Glucose, insulin, lactic acid (LA) and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were determined on the samples. The baseline level of glucose in the portal vein was about 6 mmol/l increasing to 10-11 mmol/l 20-30 min post-feeding with no difference among the different diets. Portal and arterial insulin m irrored portal glucose concentration and was also unaffected by the dietary composition. The net absorption of glucose (per 24 h) was: diet LF 4190 mm ol; diet HFWB 3050 mmol and diet HFOB 3190 mmol corresponding to a recovery of 0.76-0.92 of ingested starch. The levels of LA and SCFA in the portal v ein were relatively constant in the postprandial period. The net absorption of LA and SCFA was in the same order (749 and 720 mmol/d respectively) wit h diet LF, while LA was lower (384 and 582 mmol/d) and SCFA higher (738 to 891 mmol/d) when feeding the two high-fibre diets. There was a higher molar proportion of butyrate in the portal vein after feeding the high-fibre die t supplemented with oat bran as compared with the wheat-based diets.