Native Corn Starch Versus Either Cellulose or Glucose in the Diet and the Effects on Apparent Magnesium Absorption in Goats

Abstract

The objective of this study was to determine whether dietary glucose or starch would reduce the inhibitory effect of high K intake on Mg absorption in ruminants. In a 6 x 6 Latin square design, six goats were fed diets with or without added KHCO3 containing either cellulose, glucose, or native corn starch. The K concentrations of the diets were 7.8 or 34.0 g of K/kg of dry matter, and carbohydrates were incorporated so that their concentrations were identical on a glucose equivalent basis (331 g of glucose/kg of dry matter). The intake of extra K significantly reduced apparent Mg absorption from 29.8 to 22.1% on average. Glucose, instead of cellulose, in the diet did not affect Mg absorption. Replacement of dietary cellulose by corn starch enhanced the mean efficiency of Mg absorption from 21.8 to 30.9%. Starch versus glucose increased Mg absorption by 5.8 percentage units. No statistically significant interaction was observed between the type of carbohydrate and the amount of K in the diet with regard to Mg absorption. This study showed that the inhibitory effect of dietary KHCO3 on Mg absorption in goats was fully counteracted by the replacement of cellulose with starch in the diet. Possible changes in the pH of ruminal fluid might have mediated the dietary effects on Mg absorption.