Effects of viscous indigestible polysaccharides on the pancreas exocrine function were investigated in growing rats. Rats were fed a nonfiber diet or a diet containing approximately 5% of one of the following fibers: apple pectin, lambda-carrageenan, locust bean gum, gum xanthan, guar gum or sodium (Na) alginate. Pancreatic-bile secretion was found to be elevated in rats fed for 2 wk the highly viscous polysaccharides, sodium alginate, locust bean gum, gum xanthan and guar gum. The polysaccharides may have interfered with the digestion and absorption of nutrients, resulting in a decreased digestibility and an enlargement of digestive organs. When alginic acid and calcium alginate, insoluble polysaccharides that did not contribute to viscosity, were given to rats, they had no effect on pancreatic and biliary secretion compared with sodium alginate. The results demonstrate that consumption of viscous indigestible polysaccharides leads to changes in the exocrine pancreatic-biliary function and may depress the process of digestion and absorption. Rats may compensate for the inefficiency of digestion and absorption with a hyperplasia/hypertrophy of digestive organs and an increased secretion of digestive juice.

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We studied the effect of barley on blood glucose response in normal and diabetic rats. In the first experiment, when male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed diets containing corn starch, barley, brown rice and wheat bran for 64 days, they were administered streptozotocin (4mg/100g body weight) intraperitoneally and the corresponding diet was continued for 46 days. Glucose tolerance was suppressed in normal and diabetic rats fed the barley diet. The effect of barley was especially marked in the diabetic rats. Fasting blood glucose in diabetic rats fed barley was improved to the normal level after 25 days. Such improvements in insulin secretion and in the metabolism of glucose might play an important role in the beneficial effect of barley on the blood glucose response. A second experiment was performed to ascertain the effect of barley on diabetic rats. Glucose tolerance in diabetic rats fed barley was improved as early as 9 days, and was lower than that of normal rats fed corn starch after 33 days. These results suggest that barley could be a useful therapeutic diet for diabetic patients.

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Nippon Eiyo Shokuryo Gakkaishi (J. Jpn. Soc. Nutr. Food Sci.) 41, 43-49 (1988) Interlaboratory studies were conducted in order to evaluate and improve the neutral detergent method (ND method) and the enzymatic-gravimetric method. First, aliquots of five cereal samples were analyzed using the ND methods conventionally employed in six laboratories . As a result, Van Soest's ND method was modified to include enzymatic digestion with Termamyl and filtration using celite. Using this modified ND method, aliquots of the same samples were again analyzed and lower coefficients of variation (CV) were obtained than those obtained without modification.An improvement of the enzymatic-gravimetric method proposed by Prosky et al. and adopted by the AOAC was done for pretreatment of the sample, the celite washing procedure and the calculating formula.Using the modified method, six samples were analyzed by four laboratories.The CV was greatly improved in comparison with that obtained by Prosky et al. The dietary fiber contents of five samples were measured by the enzymatic-gravimetric method and the Southgate method. There was almost no difference in the results obtained by the two methods.