Effect of betaine on ileal and total tract digestibilities and concentrations of bacterial metabolites in piglets

Abstract

To investigate the effects of dietary betaine supplementation on ileal and total tract nutrient digestibilities and intestinal bacterial fermentation characteristics, 4 barrows (8.6 kg) were fitted with simple T-cannulae at the distal ileum. They were randomly allocated to a basal diet without or with 4.5 g betaine per kg assay diet (Betaine) with 4 repeated measurement periods. The betaine supplementation increased (P<0.05) ileal digestibility of dry matter by 1.2 percentage units and tended to increase ileal crude fiber (P=0.068) and glycine (P=0.057) digestibilities by 7.5 and 3.3 percentage units, respectively. Furthermore, betaine supplementation tended (P=0.117) to increase total tract crude fiber digestibility by 4.7 percentage units. Moreover, dietary betaine inclusion increased ileal short-chain fatty acid and fecal diaminopimelic acid concentrations (P<0.05), which indicates intensified intestinal bacterial activity. In conclusion, dietary betaine stimulates bacterial fermentation of fiber in the small and large intestine. © GSP, India.