Nutrition Flashcards
(470 cards)
What affects nutrient availability?
Digestibility of diet, species differences in GI tract and metabolism, nutrient interactions in diet and husbandry factors - freshness of diet, storage and spoilage
Which nutrient requirement does fibre/fat increase?
Taurine
Which mineral availability does phytate reduce?
Zinc
Why do animal eat, and what is the exception?
To fulfil energy requirements, except in RUMINANTS on high fibre diets where stomach fill is important
What is the definition of a calorie?
Energy required to heat 1g of water from 15.5 degrees C to 16.5 degrees C
How do you measure the total energy in a food?
Kilojoules obtained after total combustion in a bomb calorimeter. Not all available to animal.
What is digestible energy?
Gross (total) energy minus faecal loss of energy as undigested fibre.
What is metabolisable energy?
Digestible energy minus urinary and methane loss
What is the metabolisable energy requirement (MER)?
Energy required by an inactive animal in thermoneutral conditions including the energy required to obtain and digest food
How does MER vary within species?
The higher the MER relative to body weight, the more energy needed - eg shrew has very high MER relative to body weight so must eat continually
How is MER calculated for dogs and cats?
For dogs - 100 x body weight ^ 0.75 kcal per day
For cats - 70 x weight kcal per day (a linear approximation because weight doesn’t vary much)
What is an overview of the diet of a herbivore?
Cellulose mainly. Dietary starch and glucose minimal so gluconeogenesis important
Overview of the diet of a carnivore?
Mostly protein. Starch and glucose minimal so gluconeogenesis important
Overview of the diet of an omnivore?
Significant starch and glucose. Stored as glycogen and fat. Gluconeogenesis only in fasting.
Which bond in cellulose can mammalian enzymes not break down?
Beta-1,4-glucose
Differences between ruminant and non-ruminant herbivores?
Non-ruminant herbivores have microbial fermentation in a modified large intestine. Cellulose digestion is less efficient. BUT there is some normal digestion further up the gut first so glucose can be absorbed before microbial fermentation.
Why is some bacterial breakdown of fibre in the large intestine important in omnivores?
Butyrate from colonic bacterial fermentation provides 50% of energy needs of colonic epithelial cells - may prevent colonic cancer
What is the difference in bacteria in the colon and small intestine?
In the colon gram negative and anaerobes dominate. In the small intestine, there is fewer bacteria which is mainly aerobic with fewer gram negatives
Differences between parts of ruminant stomach?
Microbial fermentation in rumen and reticulum. No secretory glands or enzymes in rumen, reticulum or omasum. Acid pH and enzymes in the abomasum.
Problems with rumination
Loses control of diet constituents, saccharides and starch broken down so adult ruminants can’t get glucose from diet. Starch escaping fermentation isn’t used because maltase activity is low and glucose absoption is poor.
Rumen volume
40 gallons
Rumen pH
6.8
Rumen temperature
38-40 degrees C
Which vitamins do rumen bacteria need?
Biotin and other B vitamins