Six crossbred male pigs (40 kg) with cecal cannulas were randomly allotted to three treatments for evaluation of the effect of three levels of dietary Solka-floc (2, 10 and 18%) on cecal functionality. Samples were collected every fourth day for 40 days. Blood was obtained 4 hr after the morning feeding, and cecal contents were sampled at 3-hr intervals during the 12-hr period between the morning and evening meals. Blood urea nitrogen was not affected by dietary cellulose, and it remained constant throughout the experiment. Dry matter and cellulose digestibilities were reduced (P < .05) by the increase in dietary cellulose, suggesting a maximum cellulose digestion capability of about 35 g/pig daily. A definite daily pattern was observed for cecal ammonia nitrogen. It reached a maximum 6 hr after feeding. Cecal volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentrations were not affected by dietary cellulose. After 40 days, 150 mg/kg body weight of neomycin sulfate was administered daily for 8 days, 100 mg in the feed and 50 mg into the cecum via the cannula. The antibiotic resulted in a decrease (P < .01) in cecal VFA concentrations, an increase (P < .01) in cecal ammonia N level and a complete arrest of cellulose digestion.

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Eight crossbred female pigs (40 kg) with cannulae placed in the terminal ileum were used to evaluate the effect of infusions of casein starch and casein plus starch on organic matter fermentation and microbial protein synthesis in the large intestine, and their effect on urinary urea and orotic acid excretion, and on nitrogen (N) retention. Infused casein and starch were both totally digested. Nitrogen retention was increased (P greater than 0.05) when casein was infused. Starch infusion resulted in an increase (P greater than 0.05) in fecal N in the form of total protein (amino acids). The high correlation (P greater than 0.01) between fecal total protein and RNA indicates that the increase in fecal N resulted from an increase in microbial protein synthesis. About 5.2 g of bacterial protein was synthesized per 100 g of cornstarch fermented in the large intestine. Casein infusion increase (P greater than 0.05) total urinary N. Differences between treatments for urinary N were entirely because of changes in urinary urea. Urinary ammonia and unaccounted N were not affected by treatments. Urinary orotic acid was a good indicator of the urea cycle activity because of its hig correlation (P greater than 0.0) with urinary urea. Plasma urea N concentration was increased (P greater than 0.05) only when casein plus starch was infused.

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