Carbohydrate Digestion

TIM Upper GI predicts effect of enzyme supplements on carbohydrate digestion

 

 

chicken eating wheat

About the project

Wheat is an important source of energy in poultry diets, but not all of its carbohydrates are digested equally. Components such as arabinoxylans can limit the accessibility and digestion of starch, potentially reducing the nutritional value of wheat-based feed. The effectiveness of enzyme supplements in improving carbohydrate digestion is well established, but the factors that determine how different wheat varieties respond to these enzymes are less well understood. Research into these interactions can help explain differences in digestibility and support the development of more effective feed formulations. Reliable in vitro models such as TIM Upper GI provide a controlled way to study these processes in detail, while reducing the need for animal experiments.

Asses Carbohydrate digestion in food

The goal was to better understand how differences in wheat composition affect carbohydrate digestion and to determine the potential benefits of enzyme supplementation in wheat-based poultry diets.

Two wheat cultivars, Caphorn and Isengrain, were tested using the TIM-1 mimicking poultry conditions

The model was first compared with results from an animal study to assess its suitability for measuring digestibility. The researchers then followed the digestion of wheat carbohydrates over time, with and without commercially available enzymes, measuring both the fraction absorbed and the carbohydrates that remained undigested.

Keywords

Enzymes TIM-1 Supplements Carbohydrates Animal feed Poultry Digestibility TIM Upper GI

The results

  • The organic matter did not differ between either wheat sources
  • A commercial enzyme cocktail tested improved TIM-1 digestibility of Caphorn and Isengrain polysaccharide
  • The enzyme preparation improved the digestion of Caphorn especially in the first fractions of the jejunal and ileal dialysates and improved that of Isengrain especially in the first fractions of the ileal dialysates
  • Enzyme supplementation improved release of end product (glucose, maltose, xylobiose) for Caphorn but not for Isengrain
  • TIM® was predictive of the digestibility of wheat organic matter compared to in vivo results

The in vitro digestion model was .... able to predict the digestibility of wheat organic matter..... supporting it as a valuable prediction tool for the gastrointestinal digestion of food and feed  

Lafond et al., Br J Nutr. (2011)

Full reference

Lafond M, Bouza B, Eyrichine S, et al. An integrative in vitro approach to analyse digestion of wheat polysaccharides and the effect of enzyme supplementation. Br J Nutr. 2011;106(2):264-273. doi:10.1017/S0007114511000134

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