| Ruminants have an apparent limited capacity to digest large quantities of starch post-ruminally because of inadequate pancreatic amylase secretion. An increase in either dietary protein level or quality elicits an increase in amylase secretion in non-ruminants. Therefore, it was the intent of this research to determine whether a similar mechanism occurs in ruminants by indirectly measuring intestinal starch disappearance.;Specific objectives investigated were to: (1) develop a new pancreatic cannulation procedure in sheep; (2) determine the influence of pancreatic fluid exclusion on nutrient digestion; (3) determine if intestinal starch digestion is influenced by dietary protein (CP) level or quality; (4) determine if intestinal adaptation to dietary protein level can be measured by glycemic and insulinemic responses.;Lambs used in a short duration experiment indicated that exclusion of pancreatic fluid from the small intestine depressed organic matter (OM), available and total starch, and N digestibilities (P ;Four nitrogen sources (casein, zein, yeast or urea) and 200 g starch were duodenally infused in four lambs in a 4 x 4 Latin square. Total starch digestion was decreased (P ;Six lambs, in a replicated 3 x 3 Latin square, were duodenally infused with starch to determine if intestinal starch digestion is influenced by dietary CP level (9.5, 13.0 and 16.5% of diet DM). A linear increase (P ;In conclusion, ruminant intestinal starch digestion does appear to be influenced by protein level and quality. It can be concluded that a similar dietary protein-amylase relationship occurs in ruminants and nonruminants. Glycemic responses to a single intestinal starch infusion indicated a possible method of measuring intestinal adaptation to dietary starch. |
