Fructooligosaccharide supplementation in the yearling horse: effects on fecal pH, microbial content, and volatile fatty acid concentrations.

The research conducted a study to determine the effects of fructooligosaccharides (FOS) on the gut health of young horses, particularly its impact on fecal pH, microbial population, and volatile fatty acid concentrations.

Research Methodology

• Nine Quarter Horses, between 489 to 539 days old and averaging 400.6 ± 21.2 kg in body weight, were selected for the study.
• The study used a 3 x 3 Latin square design for the experiment. The horses’ diets were supplemented with either no FOS (Control), 8g of FOS/day (Low), or 24g of FOS/day (High) over three 10-day feeding periods. Each 10-day period was followed by a 3-day sample collection phase.
• Fecal samples were collected between 07:30 and 09:30 on the last three days of each feeding period.
• The researchers then analysed these fecal samples to assess pH, microbial populations and the concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFAs).

Key Findings

• It was found that the fecal pH decreased linearly from 6.48 with the Control diet to 6.38 with the High-FOS diet. However, there were no noticeable changes in fecal consistency across the treatments.
• There was potentially a quadratic effect on the fecal population of Escherichia coli, although no significant difference was found in fecal Lactobacilli counts between the treatments.
• The researchers could not confirm the presence of fecal Bifidobacteria, hence it’s not reported.
• Analysis of the VFAs found a linear increase in fecal acetate, propionate, and butyrate concentrations with increased FOS supplementation. Total volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and lactate concentrations also increased linearly as FOS supplementation went from Control to High.

Conclusion

The study concluded that supplementing the diets of yearling horses with FOS causes changes in fecal microbial populations, volatile fatty acid concentrations, and pH. This suggests that FOS could have potential impacts on gut health and digestion in horses. However, further experimental and clinical studies are needed to fully understand and corroborate these findings.