Degradation of Monosaccharides, Disaccharides, and Fructans in the Stomach of Horses Adapted to a Prebiotic Dose of Fructooligosaccharides and Inulin.
Authors: Bachmann Martin, Glatter Maren, Bochnia Mandy, Greef Jörg M, Breves Gerhard, Zeyner Annette
Journal: Journal of equine veterinary science
Summary
# Editorial Summary Jerusalem artichoke meal supplementation fundamentally alters carbohydrate metabolism in the equine stomach, with horses adapted to fructooligosaccharides and inulin demonstrating substantially greater degradation of simple sugars and fructans compared to unsupplemented controls. Over a 20-day adaptation period, researchers fed 12 horses either Jerusalem artichoke meal (prebiotic source) or corncob meal (placebo), then analysed gastric digesta from both the non-glandular and glandular regions one hour after feeding, measuring carbohydrate concentrations and volatile fatty acid profiles. Whilst starch and simple sugar intake remained consistent between groups, prebiotic supplementation drove marked increases in carbohydrate disappearance—most strikingly, sucrose retention dropped from 91.5% to 14.7% in the non-glandular region and vanished entirely from the glandular region with supplementation, whilst fructan breakdown nearly doubled. The strong correlation between carbohydrate disappearance and n-butyric acid production (r = -0.21 to -0.33) suggests prebiotic adaptation promotes fermentative capacity within the stomach itself, rather than simply shifting fermentation distally. For practitioners, this indicates that strategic prebiotic conditioning may improve foregut carbohydrate handling and potentially reduce the risk of hindgut acidosis in horses consuming high-sugar forage or concentrates, though the clinical significance of increased gastric fermentation warrants further investigation.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Prebiotic supplementation with inulin and fructooligosaccharides increases fermentation activity in the equine stomach, potentially improving hindgut health and SCFA production
- •A 20-day adaptation period appears sufficient for horses to develop enhanced capacity to ferment prebiotics, suggesting these supplements can be effectively introduced over about 3 weeks
- •Increased n-butyric acid production observed with prebiotic feeding may have beneficial effects on gastric and intestinal health, though long-term clinical outcomes warrant further investigation
Key Findings
- •Fructan concentrations in gastric digesta were more than twice as high with JAM supplementation compared to placebo (35.4-68.3% vs. 31.7-48.5% remaining in stomach)
- •Glucose, fructose, and sucrose showed greater disappearance rates from the stomach with prebiotic supplementation (e.g., sucrose: 14.7% vs. 0% remaining in PNG and PG respectively with JAM)
- •Disappearance of simple sugars and fructans was primarily associated with n-butyric acid production (correlation coefficients r = -0.21 to -0.33)
- •After 20 days of adaptation, horses supplemented with Jerusalem artichoke meal demonstrated enhanced fermentation capacity in the stomach