The activity of pepsin, chymotrypsin and trypsin during 24 h periods in the small intestine of growing pigs.

1. Digests were collected from twenty-two pigs, of 40 kg mean live weight, and fitted with single re-entrant cannulas in either the duodenum, jejunum or ileum. 2. Three approximately isonitrogenous diets were given to the pigs; their main constituents were: barley, fine wheat offal and white fish meal (diet BWF); starch, sucrose, maize oil, cellulose and either groundnut (diet SSG) or casein (diet SSC). 3. The activities of pepsin, chymotrypsin and trypsin were measured every hour in duodenal digesta during 24 h collection periods. Chymotrypsin and trypsin were also measured every hour in jejunal digests and every 6 h in ileal digesta, during 24 h collection periods. 4. The mean total pepsin activities in the duodenal digesta during 24 h collection periods (units for a 40 kg pig given 1.7 kg diet) were: 7764400 (diet BWF), 6078400 (diet SSG), 5801 600 (diet SSC). 5. The mean total chymotrypsin activities (units for a 40 kg pig given 1.7 kg diet) in digesta in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum respectively were: 62920, 59 560, 21 880 (diet BWF), 78 240, 68 400, 24 680 (diet SSG), 75 280, 76 120, 6160 (diet SSC). 6. The mean total trypsin activities (units for a 40 kg pig given 1.7 kg diet) in digesta from the duodenum, jejunum and ileum, respectively were: 256840, 362840, 77 600 (diet BWF), 211 200, 205 280, 46 720 (diet SSG), 325 720, 428 560, 13 600 (diet SSC). 7. It was calculated that the total weights of pepsin, chymotrypsin and trypsin in duodenal digesta in 24 h periods were between 6.2 and 7.1 g. This represents 20-25% of previously published estimates of the amounts of endogenous protein in this part of the gut.