Effects of raw or extruded legume seeds on some functional and morphological gut parameters in rats

The effects of extruding soya bean, faba bean and pea seeds on trypsin inhi bitor (TI) and lectin activities, dry matter and protein digestibilities, p ancreatic trypsin activity, relative weight of rat internal organs, and mic robiology and histology of the jejunum were studied. Wister rats were fed s emipurified diets containing 10% of legume seeds: raw (R) or extruded at 15 0 degreesC (E). Extrusion reduced TI activity of soya bean seeds from 31.3 to 23.0, faba bean from 2.1 to 0.7, and pea from 2.3 to 0.3 TIU/mg. Extrusi on of soya bean seeds also reduced agglutination activity against guinea pi g erythrocytes. Extrusion of soya bean, but not of pea and faba bean, impro ved apparent digestibility of dry matter and protein (P less than or equal to0.01). Pancreas weight (0.392% BW) and trypsin activity (0.424 U/total pa ncreas) were the highest in rats fed the diet with raw soya bean. Extrusion increased (P less than or equal to0.05) trypsin activity in the pancreas o f rats fed on all seeds (mean value 2777 vs 3212 U/100 g protein) and decre ased (P less than or equal to0.05) total protein content (mean 13.0 vs 10.6 mg/pancreas) as well as the relative weight of the pancreas. Significant d ifferences were found between the relative weights of several organs in rat s fed on pea, faba bean or soya bean diets. Extrusion of faba bean reduced the E. coli count in the small intestine and tended to decrease damage to i ntestinal villi.