Comparative digestion of maltitol and maltose in unanesthetized pigs.

Four Large White pigs (mean body weight 62.8 +/- 0.6 kg) were fitted with permanent catheters in the portal vein, carotid artery and duodenum, and with an electromagnetic flow probe around the portal vein. Eight days after surgery each animal received at 4-d intervals two duodenal infusions for 1 h each of solutions (1000 mL) containing 110 g of mild enzymic milk protein hydrolysate and 440 g of either a maltose-rich glucose syrup (54.6% maltose, 5.2% free glucose) or a maltitol-rich hydrogenated glucose syrup (54.2% maltitol, 6% free sorbitol). For 8 h after the beginning of each infusion, portal blood flow rate was recorded continuously, and blood samples were collected at various intervals (15 to 30 min) for the analysis of aminonitrogen, glucose and sorbitol. Maltitol was hydrolyzed substantially in the small gut. The absorption coefficient of glucose (percentage of infused glucose appearing in the portal blood) was the same 8 h after infusion of maltitol (78.1%) and maltose (78.8%). Sorbitol was poorly absorbed, with an absorption coefficient of 7.2% after 8 h. Its presence in the gut lumen did not inhibit the absorption of glucose. Aminonitrogen from milk oligopeptides appeared more rapidly in the portal vein during the first 4 h after infusion of maltitol than after that of maltose. This was probably due to a reduced competition between absorption of glucose and oligopeptides because of the smaller amount of glucose in the digestive lumen after maltitol hydrolysis.