Nutrient yield from starch in pigs: Consequences for energy balance and meal patterns

Summary

In pigs, starch is digested into glucose in the small intestine. Undigested starch, i.e. resistant starch (RS), serves as substrate for microbial fermentation. There are indications that both the rate and extent of starch digestion influence pig performance. But to date, evidence in literature on the effect of starch digestion kinetics on pig performance is not conclusive. Slowly digestible starch has shown to increase growth efficiency and leanness of pigs, whereas others reported no or opposite effects. Moreover, it is commonly assumed that RS, like other indigestible carbohydrates, delivers less energy than digestible starch. Despite its lower energy value, however, growth rates of pigs fed RS were similar to or greater than those of pigs fed digestible starch when feed is available ad libitum. This thesis aims to improve understanding of underlying processes affecting the utilization of digested and fermented starch, such as digestive processes and meal patterns, to ultimately predict the effect of starch digestion kinetics on pig performance more accurately.