Graduate School of Agriculture, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, Japan.
Hayashibara Co., Ltd., Okayama, Japan.
J Anim Sci. 2021 Jan 1;99(1). doi: 10.1093/jas/skab012.
Trehalose, a nonreducing disaccharide consisting of d-glucose with α,α-1,1 linkage, was evaluated as a functional material to improve the gut environment in preweaned calves. In experiment 1, 173 calves were divided into two groups; the trehalose group was fed trehalose at 30 g/animal/d with milk replacer during the suckling period, and the control group was fed nonsupplemented milk replacer. Medication frequency was lower in the trehalose group (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, calves (n = 20) were divided into two groups (control group [n = 10] and trehalose group [n = 10]) based on their body weight and reared under the same feeding regimens as in experiment 1. Fresh feces were collected from individual animals at the beginning of the trial (average age 11 d), 3 wk after trehalose feeding (experimental day 22), and 1 d before weaning, and the fecal score was recorded daily. Fecal samples were analyzed for fermentation parameters and microbiota. The fecal score was significantly lower in the trehalose group than in the control group in the early stage (at an age of 14 to 18 d; P < 0.05) of the suckling period. Calves fed trehalose tended to have a higher proportion of fecal butyrate on day 22 than calves in the control group (P = 0.08). Population sizes of Clostridium spp. were significantly lower (P = 0.036), whereas those of Dialister spp. and Eubacterium spp. tended to be higher in the feces of calves in the trehalose group on day 22 (P = 0.060 and P = 0.083). These observations indicate that trehalose feeding modulated the gut environment and partially contributed to the reduction in medication frequency observed in experiment 1.
海藻糖是一种由α,α-1,1 连接的葡萄糖组成的非还原二糖，被评估为一种功能性物质，可改善新生小牛的肠道环境。在实验 1 中，173 头小牛分为两组；实验组在哺乳期内每天每头动物用 30 克海藻糖喂养代乳料，对照组则用未补充海藻糖的代乳料喂养。实验组的用药频率较低（P<0.05）。在实验 2 中，20 头小牛（对照组 [n = 10] 和海藻糖组 [n = 10]）根据体重分组，采用与实验 1 相同的饲养方案进行饲养。在试验开始时（平均年龄 11 天）、海藻糖喂养 3 周后（实验第 22 天）和断奶前 1 天，从个体动物中采集新鲜粪便，并记录每天的粪便评分。分析粪便样本的发酵参数和微生物群。在哺乳期早期（14 至 18 天龄），实验组的粪便评分明显低于对照组（P<0.05）。在实验第 22 天，实验组粪便中丁酸的比例也高于对照组（P=0.08）。海藻糖组粪便中梭菌属的数量明显降低（P=0.036），而戴阿利斯特菌属和真杆菌属的数量则趋于升高（P=0.060 和 P=0.083）。这些观察结果表明，海藻糖喂养调节了肠道环境，并在一定程度上有助于减少实验 1 中观察到的用药频率。
