Nutrient digestibility and colonic fermentation processes in species of the familiesMustelidaeandCanidaefed the same diet

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Abstract
Nutrient digestibility was compared and the influence of colonic fermentation processes on nutrient digestibility was determined in the American mink (Neovison vison) and the silver fox (Vulpes vulpes). It was hypothesized that gut microbiota exert varied effects on digestion processes in the analyzed species. The experiment was performed in December, on a group of 10 male mink and 10 male foxes. All animals were fed identical diets for fur‐bearing carnivores, with the following chemical composition (%): dry matter (DM)—33.12, total protein (TP)—12.01, ether extract (EE)—8.64, crude fiber (CF)—12.01, N‐free extracts (N‐FE)—9.32, and gross energy (GE)—7.313 MJ/kg−1. The coefficients of DM, OM, TP and EE digestibility were significantly higher in foxes than in mink. Mink were characterized by significantly higher utilization of N‐FE. In foxes, as compared with mink, fermentation rates were higher in the final section of the gastrointestinal tract, which improved nutrient digestibility. In mink, characterized by lower fermentation rates in the colon, increased enzyme secretion by bacterial cells is one of the physiological mechanisms that enable to optimize nutrient absorption in the large intestine.J. Exp. Zool. 323A: 637–644, 2015.

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