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Cereal Chem. 91(6):572-577The addition of exogenous xylanases (EX-XYL) to wheat-based poultry feeds is a common practice today. Wheat contains xylanase inhibitors (XI) and grain-associated xylanases (GA-XYL), which could affect the action of the EX-XYL. In this study, both GA-XYL and XI activity in feeding-quality wheat were assessed. In addition, the effect of the conditions during digestion in monogastrics and the effects of pelleting at different conditioning temperatures on GA-XYL and XI were investigated. The GA-XYL activity varied between no activity and 0.821 XU/g. In contrast, the XI activity was consistently high in all wheat samples and ranged between 259 and 331 IU/g. Simulating the digestive process did not affect the activities of GA-XYL or XI. Pelleting at 85°C or higher reduced the XI activity up to 46%. GA-XYL, however, were more heat-sensitive, and their activity was reduced to 67% at 60°C. The extract viscosity increased and the release of reducing sugars decreased at higher conditioning temperatures. In addition, the net effect of EX-XYL on extract viscosity increased at higher temperatures, whereas the release of reducing sugars was not affected. In conclusion, XI affected the action of EX-XYL during the digestive process, and pelleting did not eliminate their negative effects.

Acute aerobic exercise has been shown to elicit physiological changes characteristic of the acute phase response (APR), a nonspecific host defense response. Regular evocation of these changes may prime the immune system to improve resistance to disease. Because food deprivation is associated with an impaired APR, food restriction may prevent these beneficial changes. We tested the hypotheses that voluntary exercise elicits an APR and that food restriction modifies this response in four groups of hamsters: ad libitum-fed sedentary, ad libitum-fed exercised, food-restricted sedentary, and food-restricted exercised. Five variables altered during an APR were examined: core temperature, serum iron, serum interleukin-6, serum amyloid A, and serum glucocorticoids measured by biotelemetry, colorimetric analysis, B-9 cell growth assay, indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and radioimmunoassay, respectively. Blood was drawn during the hamsters' inactive period after 19-20 days of access to running wheels. Resting core temperature was elevated by exercise and depressed by food restriction (P < 0.01). Iron was depressed by food restriction (P < 0.01). Cortisol, but not corticosterone, was elevated by food restriction (P < 0.001). There were no significant differences among groups in interleukin-6 (P > 0.49) or serum amyloid A (P > 0.29). We conclude that there is little evidence that voluntary exercise or exercise combined with food restriction causes an APR in hamsters.

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