Digestion – Bovine Plasma
Digestion – Spray-dried bovine plasma
Effects of spray-dried plasma on intake and apparent digestibility in dogs.
Spray-dried animal plasma contains significant amounts of functional proteins, including IgG, transferrin, and several hormones and growth factors. These proteins exert effects within the intestine independent of their nutritional value. For example, Bosi et al. (2001) reported that SDAP improved ADG, health, and immune stimulation in pigs following oral challenge with Escherichia coli. Touchette et al. (2002) reported that feeding SDAP to young pigs resulted in reduced mRNA expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β mRNA in the adrenal gland, spleen, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and liver. Additionally, expression of IL-6 mRNA was reduced in the spleen and pituitary gland of pigs fed SDAP. The authors also reported changes in the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (More surface area for nutrient absorption). in pigs fed diets containing SDAP. Jiang et al. (2000a,b) reported that feeding SDAP to early-weaned pigs reduced cellularity of the lamina propria of the small intestine and improved efficiency of dietary protein utilization, in part, by decreasing intestinal amino acid catabolism. Plasma urea N concentrations were nearly 40% lower when pigs were fed SDAP compared with extruded soy protein (Jiang et al., 2001a,b). Torrallardona et al. (2003) indicated that the inclusion of 7% SDAP increased total counts of cecal Lactobacilli, while decreasing cecal Clostridium counts.
Overall, these data suggest that SDAP may influence intestinal function and thereby affect digestion. Addition of SDAP to dry dog food kibbles improved digestibility of nutrients and decreased excretion of fecal DM. Application of SDAP to the outside of kibbles or inclusion within the kibbles seemed to be equally effective. Improved digestibility is consistent with altered digestive function; however, these data do not clearly identify the effects of SDAP on nutrient digestibility.
