Effects of caecectomy on the digestibility of food and rate of passage of digesta in the rat.

Minimum transit time through the alimentary tract of young adult female rats fed a stock diet ad libitum was reduced from 6.6 +/- 0.4 h for sham-operated rats to 5.0 +/- 0.3 h for caecectomized rats, but there was no effect on transit time of digesta along the small intestine. Caecectomy decreased the apparent digestibility of crude protein, soluble carbohydrate, cellulose and hemicellulose. Digestibility of lipid was not affected. However, caecectomized rats did not increase their dry matter intakes to compensate for the reduced digestible energy intakes.