The aim of the present work was to determine nutrients and energy utilization of four hulless oat varieties, namely Paul (PA), Gehl “VAO-02” (GV), AC-Gwen (AC) and Lee Williams (LW) in growing pigs. The crude protein, lysine, crude fat and neutral detergent fibre contents (g kg-1 DM) ranged from 153 for LW to 184 for PA, 7.08 for LW to 7.94 for PA, 53.8 for LW to 72.1 for GV and 77.3 for PA to 120 for LW, respectively. Apparent ileal lysine digestibility differed (P<0.05) among the varieties and ranged from 60.0% for LW to 78.9% for AC. The DE and ME contents (MJ kg-1) also differed (P<0.05) among the varieties and ranged from 16.66 for LW to 17.92 for PA and 16.65 for LW to 17.90 for PA, respectively. Ileal amino acids digestibility and energy contents revealed variability among the varieties studied.
The objective of this study was to investigate the secretion of pancreatic enzymes and antibacterial activity in weaned pigs of three pure breeds, Pietrain, Duroc and Polish synthetic line 990, to look for eventual differences related to the genotype. Six male pigs of each breed, about 24 kg mean body weight, were equipped with chronic pancreatic duct catheters and duodenal cannulas to assess pure pancreatic juice, and jugular vein catheters for blood withdrawal. Pancreatic juice was collected before and after the morning feeding. Protein output and enzyme activities revealed two distinct profiles: strong manifestation of the prandial phase in Pietrain and line 990 pigs, and weak manifestation in Duroc. The antibacterial activity did not follow the enzyme kinetics, and it was the strongest in pancreatic juice from Pietrain pigs. Postprandial insulinaemia was reduced in the order of: line 990>Pietrain>Duroc. A slight (not significant) tendency towards a reduction of leptin after feeding in synthetic line 990 corresponded with elevated secretion of pancreatic enzymes and plasma insulin. The presented results suggest that the prandial secretion of pancreatic juice differs according to genotype, and the differences may be in part related to release of insulin.