Background: A reason for the digestive problems that often occur around early weaning in piglets could be that the pancreas is not yet fully developed and the enzymes required for degradation of the solid food are not secreted in enough amounts.
Objectives: The aim of the study was to investigate the possibility of inducing pancreas maturation with enhanced enzyme secretion.
Methods: 10-day-old suckling pigs were gavage fed with a red kidney bean lectin preparation for 3 days, and the pancreatic response to intravenous infusion of CCK-33 was measured in the anaesthetized animals fitted with pancreatic duct catheters.