Considerations on the levels o f proteolytic enzymes in cattle fed concentrates

Abstract

During the fattening period (4 months) of 24 young bovines, male, Friesian, fed only concentrates, the behaviour of the levels of proteolytic enzymes was studied. The variation of the serical trypsin, chymotrypsin and amylase activity was observed, and it is probably due to the specifical effect of adaptation to the nutritions conditions. The serical trypsin activity was larger than the chymotrypsin’s. On the other hand, the behaviour of the enzymatic activity of trypsin and chymotrypsin in the feces decreased during the fattening. Small variations were observed in the groups of ponderal increment of the serical trypsin and amylase activities. By the method of gelatin digestion, the trypsin from the duodenal juice and feces presented total enzymatic activity up to the dilutions 1 : 4,0 and 1 : 1, respectively. By the colorimetric method the duodenal juice presented tryptical activity up to the dilution 1 : 200. Between the animals and the different groups of ponderal increment there were differences statistically significant for the values of serical trypsin, chymotrypsin and amylase. The mean values in terms of standard deviations were: serical trypsin 1,37 ± 0,066 mU/ml; trypsin in feces 0,39 ± 0,438 mU/ml; chymotrypsin 1,23 ± ± 0,064, mU/ml and serical amylase 154,61 ± 3,984 units.