Steroid metabolism along the gastrointestinal tract of the cannulated pig.

Steroid metabolism along the gastrointestinal tract of the cannulated pig was studied. Thi was achieved by fitting simple gut cannulas in the terminal ileum, caecum and mid-colon of three Landrace x large white boars, which enabled convenient collection of digesta and faecal samples at defined time points. Biochemical analyses showed that the neutral steroid profile of the pig is similar to that of man, dominated by cholesterol and its bacterial metabolite coprostanol.

Measurement of transit time of digesta through sections of gastrointestinal tract of pigs fed with diets containing various sources of dietary fibre (non-starch polysaccharides).

The effects of various sources of dietary fibre (defined as non-starch polysaccharides (NSP] on the transit time (TT) of digesta through sections of digestive tract were measured in pigs of 30-85 kg. The pigs were fitted with simple cannulas in the terminal ileum, caecum and mid-colon. Diets in experiments 1-3 were based on barley, wheat, soya bean meal and fish meal with NSP added in the form of wood cellulose (experiment 1), guar gum (experiment 2), wheat bran, pectin (experiment 3).

The availability to the chick of pantothenic acid in foods.

1. The content of total pantothenic acid (PaA) in two foodstuffs of microbial origin was measured by standard microbiological and chick biological assays. 2.

The effects of high dietary supplements of copper sulphate on pantothenic acid metabolism in the chick.

1. The effects of incorporation of copper sulphate supplying 250 mg copper/kg semi-purified diet with graded amounts of calcium pantothenate (CaPa) were studied in chicks. 2.

The influence of microorganisms and of stress on the chick's requirement for pantothenic acid.

1. The responses of germ-free (GF) and conventional (CV) chicks to suboptimal amounts of dietary calcium pantothenate (CaPa) were compared. At the lower levels of supplementation the signs of deficiency were more severe in the CV chicks.