Nutrient dragging in faeces from the intake of partially hydrolyzed cassava waste

Abstract

Dietary fiber can drag nutrients in faeces. Cassava waste from starch industry can be hydrolyzed by an enzymatic process and give origin to a food with high content of insoluble dietary fibers, named partially hydrolyzed cassava waste (HCW). HCW or standard wheat bran (WB) were fed to model growing rats in order to assess their dragging skill of nutrients from the intake of faeces. Addition of 5%, 15% or 25% HCW, in replacement of starch, promoted a significant dragging proportion for the overall minerals or proteins; addition of 15% or 25% HCW dragged a significant proportion of lipids and the addition of 25% HCW dragged a significant proportion of digestible carbohydrates. Adding 25% WB caused significant dragging of total minerals, protein and digestible carbohydrates, lipids were, however, not dragged with WB treatment. HCW promoted a more pronounced effect as compared to WB in regard to the dragging process of total minerals or proteins for 5% or 15% additions. Nervertheless, for high rates, such as 25% additions, both fibrous sources produced similar effects on the dragging of protein, but WB promoted the greatest dragging process of total minerals. No differences between both fiber sources were observed as to their abilities of dragging lipids or digestible carbohydrates into faeces. With high rates (25%) HCW promoted effects similar to WB, allowing to conclude that HCW might be used as an important alternative source of insoluble dietary fiber for the formulation of digestive-functional feeds.