Total daily energy expenditure (TEE) by the doubly-labelled (2H218O) water method and basal metabolic rate (BMR) by indirect calorimetry were measured in thirty-two healthy free-living adults in Northern Ireland. Habitual physical activity patterns in occupational and discretionary activities were assessed by interview questionnaire. Expressed as a multiple of BMR the TEE values for the sixteen males (1.88 (sd 0.28), range 1.44–2.57) and sixteen females (1.77 (sd 0.16), range 1.50–2.06) were compatible with current Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS; 1979) and Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization/United Nations University (FAO/WHO/UNU; 1985) estimates of energy requirements. The results suggest that discretionary physical activity is now emerging as an equally important determinant of energy expenditure in the UK as the occupational classifications currently used as the basis of DHSS (1979) and FAO/WHO/UNU (1985) recommendations for energy requirements. Therefore, realistically achievable inputs of recreational exercise can have a significant impact in counteracting low levels of energy expenditure which are associated with modern lifestyles and are implicated as a risk factor for coronary heart disease and obesity.

The influence of protein content of the diet on the plasma concentrations and binding to skeletal muscle and liver of insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), was studied in growing rats. Animals with a starting body-weight of 80 g received for an 11 d period isoenergetic diets containing (g/kg dry matter) 155 protein as controls (MP), or 55 (LP) or 300 (HP) protein. Food was offered as six equal meals/d. Daily food intakes provided adequate amounts of energy. Total plasma IGF-1 increased linearly as a function of dietary protein intake. Plasma insulin was lower in the LP than in the MP and HP groups. Hormone binding was studied in wheat-germ agglutinin (WGA) partially purified skeletal muscle receptor preparations. Each 125I-labelled hormone binding was competed for by increasing amounts of homologous and heterologous unlabelled hormone; this displacement needed lower concentrations of homologous than heterologous hormone. When compared with MP-diet feeding, the LP diet resulted in an increased ligand concentration for half-maximal binding. In addition the specific 125I-labelled insulin and 125I-labelled IGF-1 binding increased at all hormone concentrations and, as revealed by Scatchard analysis, the hormone binding capacity also rose (only significant for low-affinity insulin receptors and high-affinity IGF-1 receptors). The HP diet had little effect on hormone binding, except to increase insulin binding at very low insulin concentrations. Hormone binding was further studied in WGA partially purified liver receptor preparations. Those preparations did not exhibit any detectable specific 125I-labelled IGF-1 binding. The specific 125I-labelled insulin binding was not altered by dietary protein level. It is concluded that the increase in skeletal muscle insulin and IGF-1 binding along with a decrease in insulin and IGF-1 in the blood from rats fed on the LP diet, is consistent with the concept of an inverse relationship between plasma hormone and hormone binding. The physiological significance with respect to metabolic adaptation of muscle remains to be established

The aim of the present experiment was to determine the relationship between placental and fetal weight after placental growth had been retarded by maternal undernutrition. Placental weight and fetal weight were measured in single-lamb-bearing ewes which were well-fed throughout pregnancy, or severely undernourished between the 30th and 96th day of pregnancy. Placental transfer of calcium and whole-body metabolism of both glucose and Ca were measured during late pregnancy. The change in fleece-adjusted live weight between the 30th and 96th day of pregnancy was 99 (se 9.8) and – 146 (se 9.6) g/d for the well-fed and undernourished ewes respectively. The condition score of well-fed ewes did not significantly change between the 96th (2.9 (se 0.08)) and 140th (3.0 (se 0.13)) day of pregnancy, while it increased from 1.6 (se 0.15) to 2.3 (se 0.11) for the previously undernourished group. Undernutrition caused an increase (P < 0.01) in placental weight measured on the 96th (21%) and 140th (30%) day of pregnancy. In contrast fetal growth was not significantly affected by maternal undernutrition. While the voluntary dry matter intakes (g/d) of previously undernourished ewes after the 97th day of pregnancy were higher than for their well-fed counterparts, there was no significant difference between whole-body glucose or Ca metabolism, or the placental transfer of Ca measured during late pregnancy. This experiment confirms earlier reports of an increase in placental weight as a result of maternal undernutrition during mid-pregnancy; but the factors causing and the functional significance of this response have not been identified. Contrary to earlier proposals, placental weight per se did not limit fetal growth during late pregnancy. It is hypothesized that a combination of factors originating from maternal, placental and fetal sources act together to regulate growth of the fetus.

An experiment was conducted to determine the utilization of ileal digestible threonine by growing pigs. Three threonine-deficient diets (0.22 g ileal digestible threonine/MJ digestible energy (DE)) were formulated using cottonseed meal, meat-and-bone meal and soya-bean meal respectively, as the only source of threonine in the diet. An additional three diets were formulated with supplements of threonine to confirm that threonine was limiting in the first three diets. The growth performance and retention of threonine by pigs given the six diets over the 20–45 kg growth phase was then determined. Growth rates (g/d) of the pigs given the three diets formulated to 0.22 g ileal digestible threonine/MJ DE were significantly different (P < 0.001): cottonseed meal 417, meat-and-bone meal 452, soya-bean meal 524 (sed 13.6). The response of pigs to the addition of threonine confirmed that threonine was limiting in these diets. Crude protein (nitrogen x 6.25) deposited by the pigs (g/d) was significantly higher (P < 0.001) for those given soya-bean meal (75), relative to meat-and-bone meal (62) and cottonseed meal (47) (sed 3.3). The proportion of ileal digestible threonine retained by pigs given the three protein concentrates was: cottonseed meal 0.44, meat-and-bone meal 0.59, soya-bean meal 0.64 (sed 0.024). These results indicate that values for the ileal digestibility of threonine in protein concentrates are unsuitable in dietary formulations as the assay does not reflect the proportion of threonine that can be utilized by the pig. It appears that, with heat-processed meals, a considerable proportion of the threonine is absorbed in a form(s) that is (are) inefficiently utilized.

Weanling male Wistar rats were fed for 28 d on a semi-synthetic diet containing normal (38 μg/g) or low (9 μg/g) levels of iron. They were given water or tea infusion (20 g leaves/I water) to drink. Two further groups were given a normal- or low-Fe diet containing added tea leaves (20 g/kg diet). At the end of the study period, all rats given the low-Fe diet were severely anaemic, as assessed by haemoglobin, packed cell volume and liver Fe. Those given tea or the diet with added tea leaves showed a greater degree of Fe depletion. The blood and liver aluminium levels were not increased as a result of consuming tea or tea leaves, despite the higher Al intakes. Fe deficiency per se had no effect on Al absorption or retention from tea. It was concluded that the Al in tea was very poorly absorbed but that tea, either in the form of an infusion or as tea leaves, had an adverse effect on Fe status

Gastric intubation was adopted to examine the effect of continuous nutrient supply on digestive development of the pig during the immediate post-weaning period. The 14 d-weaned animals were slaughtered at 3, 5 and 7 d post-weaning (3W, 5W and 7W respectively) and the suckled animals were slaughtered at 14 and 22 d of age (14SR and 22SR respectively). The weight of the pancreas (g/kg body-weight) was significantly greater (P < 0.05) in the 5W and 7W groups, as was the weight of large intestine (g/kg) in all weaned groups (P < 0.01) compared with sow-reared pigs. The stomach weight (g/kg) tended to be greater in the weaned groups. Weaning, in conjunction with a continuous nutrient supply, did not significantly alter the time-related changes in the weight of the small intestine (SI) or the SI mucosa, although both variables tended to be lowest in the 3W group. However, there was a 20% reduction in the protein content of the mucosa within the first 3 d post-weaning (P < 0.01) which persisted during the 7 d experimental period. Lactase, (β-galactosidase; EC 3.2.1.23) activity (μmol/g protein and mol/d) of the 7W group was reduced to approximately 40% of the 22SR value. Hence, continuous nutrient supply may have delayed, but did not prevent, the loss of lactase activity at weaning. The activity of sucrase (sucrose-α-glucosidase; EC 3.2.1.48) was significantly higher in 22SR compared with 14SR animals. Sucrase activity in weaned pigs was intermediate to the values for sow-reared pigs whereas maltase (α-glucosidase; EC 3.2.1.20) and glucoamylase (glucan 1, 4-α-glucosidase; EC 3.2.1.3) were significantly increased in relation to their sow-reared counterparts. Continuous nutrient supply did not prevent the reduction in villous height and the crypt hypertrophy associated with weaning. The results of the present study suggest that there may be some degree of interaction between nutrient intake and gut development during the immediate post-weaning period but that there is also a component of the adaptive response which is independent of nutrient intake. They confirm the rapid substrate induction of the brush-border glucoamylases and indicate the importance of considering total as well as specific enzyme activity for satisfactory interpretation of changes in digestive function.

Six experiments were made in growing pigs to investigate the effects of substituting bran, oatmeal byproduct, pectin and guar gum for barley on gastric emptying rate, pH and dry matter of digesta and on the dry matter content and rate of passage of digesta to the terminal ileum and overall. Twelve pigs with cannulas sited at the pyloric/fundic junction of the stomach were used to measure gastric emptying. Seventy-two pigs were kept in metabolism cages for the total collection of faeces and nine pigs were fitted with simple cannulas 150 mm cranial to the ileo-caecal junction. For the overall transit measurements the barley was ground through a 4.68 mm screen (C) and for the other studies either through this screen or a 1.56 mm screen (F). Gastric emptying rates were significantly faster for F diets than for C diets, but bran and oatmeal by-product substitutions were without significant effect on this variable or on rate of passage to the terminal ileum. Guar gum and pectin significantly speeded up gastric emptying and transit to the terminal ileum in C diets. Guar gum and pectin did not significantly affect overall transit time, but bran accelerated it. The results are discussed in relation to the depressive effects on nutrient utilization which have been recorded for the four polysaccharides: it is postulated that gastric emptying rate and transit time to the terminal ileum are likely to have a minimal effect on overall transit time.

After a 5-week period of low selenium intake, twenty-four Dutch men received 55, 135 or 215 μg Se/d as Se-rich meat or bread for a 9-week period. Four unsupplemented subjects served as controls. Plasma Se increased more rapidly than erythrocyte Se levels; the increases were significantly dependent (P < 0.001) on Se intake level. Glutathione peroxidase (EC1.11.1.9; GSH-Px) activity in platelets increased rapidly after supplementation and plateaued after 4–9 weeks. At 10 weeks after supplementation ended, plasma Se levels and platelet GSH-Px were still higher than the baseline values whereas erythrocyte Se levels continued to increase. Except for the higher erythrocyte Se levels after supplementation with high-Se meat, there were no differences in bioavailability of Se between meat and wheat products. Daily urinary and faecal Se excretions as well as Se retention increased with an increased Se intake irrespective of the form of the supplement. Regression of Se excretion ν. intake indicated that 33 μg Se/d is necessary to compensate for urinary and faecal losses

In five experiments where guar gum (GG) or Solka-floc cellulose (SF) supplemented a semi-synthetic diet (100 g/kg) for male Wistar rats at 21°, it was found that GG acutely depressed both ad lib. and meal-fed food intakes by 40–50 %. The effect was temporary, with the GG having no effects on food intake in the longer term. Dietary energy balance over 28 d with animals fed on equal amounts of a basal ration showed partial digestible energy values, calculated from the intake and faecal loss of energy, for the supplements which averaged 0 kJ/g SF and 10 kJ/g GG, so that GG contributed substantial amounts of absorbable energy. Despite this additional energy from GG, there was very often no additional gain of body fat. Rather, in some experiments, fat deposition was actually decreased by supplementation with GG. GG is inferred to have a putative thermogenic effect which is often greater than the energy it supplies. This effect occurred to a greater extent in circumstances associated with a higher ‘energy status’, indicated by higher efficiencies of conversion of gross dietary energy to retained body energy, higher fat: lean tissue deposition ratios and the occurrence of larger deposits at the epididymal fat pad site. There was some evidence that deposition at this site was more extensively affected by GG than deposition of fat in the body as a whole. Possible implications of the present findings are discussed.

Gastric intubation was adopted as a means of comparing the effect of two feeding levels, continuous nutrient supply (C) and restricted nutrient supply (R), on the digestive development of pigs weaned at 14 d of age, during the first 5 d post-weaning. The absolute weights of the stomach and the pancreas were significantly greater (P < 0.001) in C compared with R pigs. The effect was not significant for pancreas weight when expressed per kg body-weight but was significant (P < 0.05) for stomach weight. The weights of the small intestine (SI), SI mucosa and total mucosal protein were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in C pigs but protein content per g mucosa was similar in the C and R groups. There was no significant effect of treatment on the activity of lactase (β-glucosidase; EC 3.2.1.23) or sucrase (sucrose-α-glucosidase; EC 3.2.1.48) irrespective of the basis of comparison used. The specific activity (μmol/min per g protein) of maltase (α-glucosidase; EC 3.2.1.20) and of glucoamylase (glucan-1,4-α-glucosidase; EC 3.2.1.3) were similar in C and R groups but activities of maltase (μmol/g mucosa) (P < 0.05), and maltase and glucoamylase (mol/d) (P < 0.01) were significantly higher in C pigs. Villous height and crypt depth were significantly greater in C pigs (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05 respectively). Enteroglucagon was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in C compared with R pigs. Xylose absorption and the digestibility of energy were not affected by treatment. Digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein (nitrogen x 6.25) and carbohydrate were significantly higher (P < 0.001, P < 0.01, P < 0.05 and P < 0.001 respectively) in R pigs compared with C pigs but the differences were small, ranging from 1.3 to 2.5 %. These results demonstrate that (1) nutrient intake in the weaned pig affects the anatomy, morphology and function of the gut, (2) there is considerable ‘spare capacity’ for digestion of cereal-based diets even in pigs weaned at 14 d of age, (3) measurements in vitro of digestive function are of limited value unless supported by information in vivo on absorption/digestibility.

In adult male rats fed on a cholesterol-free synthetic diet, plasma cholesterol concentrations were lowest with oat bran, intermediate with cellulose and highest with wheat bran. Plasma triacylglycerols (TAG) were similar with wheat bran and cellulose but higher with oat bran. The concentrations and pools of caecal volatile fatty acids (VFA) were lowest with cellulose and equally higher with oat bran and wheat bran. Plasma VFA concentrations in the hepatic portal vein reflected those in caecal digesta and were unrelated to plasma cholesterol. Feeding oat bran after extraction with n-pentane gave plasma cholesterol concentrations similar to that found with wheat bran. Reconstitution of oat bran with extracted lipids did not restore the cholesterol-lowering effect. Addition of the extracted material to a wheat-bran diet had no effect on plasma cholesterol. Plasma TAG were higher with the oat bran and reconstituted-oatbran diets than with wheat-bran or cellulose diets. However, extracted oat bran+safflower oil gave similar TAG concentrations to that with wheat bran. These extractions and additions did not change caecal bile acid or neutral sterol concentrations. Effects of these diets on plasma cholesterol were unrelated to their tocotrienol or tocopherol content. Addition of n-pentane to oat bran followed by evaporation of solvent gave plasma cholesterol concentrations that were significantly higher than untreated oat bran but lower than similarly treated wheat bran. It is concluded that oat bran affects cholesterol metabolism through a pentane-soluble component as well as non-starch polysaccharides. It appears that the activity of this lipid is not transferable by simple addition of the solvent extract to the whole diet.

Wistar albino female rats were maintained for 10 d on diets containing various levels of the vegetable Solanum nigrum. Simultaneously, they received daily intraperitoneal injections of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) (either 0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg body-weight) diluted in propylene glycol. At the end of the experiment, all animals were killed and their serum and hepatic microsomes were prepared for assay of enzymes. Results showed that aminopyrine N-demethylase activity increased 2.5-fold with 200 (S200) and 600 (S600) g S. nigrum/kg diets. Activity of uridine diphosphate glucuronyltransferase (UDPGT) (EC 2.4.17) also increased twofold. Similar results were obtained with glutathione S-transferase (EC 2.5.1.18) activity which increased by 60% with diet S600. After AFB1 treatment, a general increase in the activities of the above enzymes was found, except for UDPGT in the group fed on diet S600. When rats were fed on the diet without S. nigrum, AFB1 induced an increase in alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (EC 3. 1. 3. 1), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (EC 2. 6. 1. 1) and γ-glutamyltransferase (γ-GT) (EC 2. 3. 2. 2) levels in the serum. AFB1 also induced increases in serum ALP and γ-GT levels when rats were fed on diet S600

Diets containing vegetable tannins, predominantly hydrolysable gallotannins, at levels of 13.5, 25 and 50 g/kg were fed to growing broiler cockerels to examine their effect on enzymes in the pancreas, the intestinal lumen and the intestinal mucosa. Pancreas weight per unit live weight showed a significant (P < 0.05) increase with increasing level of dietary tannin while that of the liver remained unaffected. Trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4) and α-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1) activities in the pancreas of birds fed at the highest level of tannins were more than double those from birds fed on a tannin-free control diet. In the intestinal lumen inhibition of trypsin activity increased with increasing level of dietary tannin; α-amylase activity was inhibited at intermediate tannin levels but was restored at the highest level. Dipeptidase (EC 3.4.13.11) and sucrose α-glucosidase (disaccharidase) (EC 3.2.1.48) in the intestinal mucosa were both inhibited by tannins. Growth of the birds and digestibility of nitrogen were adversely affected by the tannin-containing diets.

The effects of polysaccharides and tannins present in the hulls of field beans (Vicia faba L.) on the digestion of amino acids, starch and lipid were studied in poultry. A control diet without hulls and the same diet substituted with 400 g hulls/kg diet from three different varieties of beans were fed to 3-week-old chicks for 4 d. Digestibility coefficients for amino acids, starch and lipid were calculated from measurements made of these nutrients in the diets and the freeze-dried excreta with the aid of titanium dioxide as a marker. Activities of trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4), α-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1), and lipase (EC 3.1.1.3) in digesta removed from the upper jejunum, sucrase (EC 3.2.1.48) in the gut mucosa from the upper jejunum, and α-amylase and lipase in the pancreas were measured. The hulls were analysed for their polysaccharide and tannin contents. Results showed that the hulls were mostly carbohydrate in composition, with cellulose the predominant polysaccharide. Tannins present in the hulls of two coloured-flowering varieties (Brunette and Minica) were of the condensed type. The diet with tannin-free hulls (white-flowering variety Medes) lowered slightly the digestion of amino acids, starch and lipid compared with the control diet. This effect was believed to be due to inhibition of digestive enzymes, possibly through their adsorption onto the hulls. Diets with tannin-rich hulls (varieties Brunette and Minica) caused a large reduction in the digestion of amino acids, starch and lipid compared with the control diet mainly due to inactivation of digestive enzymes by the formation of tannin–enzyme complexes in the digestive tract. Enzyme activities could be partially restored by the addition of polyvinylpyrrolidone to the digesta. Tannins inactivated trypsin the most, α-amylase to a lesser extent and lipase the least and as a consequence lowered the digestion of amino acids the most, starch to a lesser extent and lipid the least. Tannins did not induce an increased pancreatic production of digestive enzymes, nor did they affect activity of jejunum mucosal sucrase. Condensed tannins from Brunette and Minica hulls were partially extractable in methanol alone, but required acidic methanol for fuller extraction. The vanillin: anthocyanidin ratio suggested that tannins were polymerized to the same degree in the Brunette and Minica varieties, both in the methanol and acidic methanol extracts. Hulls from the variety Minica contained a greater amount of methanol-extractable tannins, the quantity of remaining tannins that required acidic methanol for extraction being the same for both varieties.

The amount of 65Zn in the plasma of rats after intravenous injection was found to decline following closely two-compartment kinetics over a period of 90 min. Comparative analysis of the amount of 65Zn present in the two kinetic pools at various time-intervals post-injection with the actual physiological location of the 65Zn, revealed that the initial pool (Qa) is primarily the blood plasma, while the second pool (Qb) is primarily within the liver. The plasma Zn concentration and Qa were both found to fall reproducibly during Zn depletion, whereas Qa and Qb increased following injection of Escherichia coli endotoxin in contrast to the decline in plasma Zn concentration. Further investigation of the nature of Qb indicates that it represents in part a metabolic pool within the liver which varies substantially in response to Zn status in a manner similar to metallothionein.

The present work was undertaken to study the gastrointestinal effects of wheat and oat dietary fibre (DF) using 40–50 kg pigs cannulated in the terminal ileum. The variables studied were: chemical characteristics of the DF, ileal and faecal digestibility of nutrients and bulking properties of polysaccharides and other major constituents. The wheat products studied included refined wheat flour and wheat fractions rich in the following botanical components: aleurone, pericarp/testa and bran. The oat products used were rolled oats and oat bran. The products varied considerably in DF content (g/kg dry matter) and composition; non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and Klason lignin content ranged from 34 and 1 g/kg respectively in wheat flour, to 465 and 92 g/kg in pericarp/testa. The main NSPs in the wheat were arabinoxylans (AX) (64–69%) and cellulose (15–31%) and in oats mixed linked β(1 → 3; 1 → 4)-D-glucans (β-glucans; 46–63%) and AX (28–32%). The lowest content of soluble NSP was found in the lignified wheat fractions (bran and pericarp/testa) and the highest in oat bran. Eight diets were produced using the wheat and oat products and studied in two series of experiments using wheat flour as the DF-depleted control. The diets in Expt 1 were based on wheat flour and three iso-DF enriched diets prepared by adding DF from the fractions rich in wheat aleurone, pericarp/testa or bran. In Expt 2, oat bran was added to wheat flour to achieve the same DF intake level as in Expt 1. This series also included diets based on rolled oats and rolled oats plus oat bran. Starch was almost completely digested in the small intestine (0.97–1.00). However, there was a tendency to a slightly lower digestibility of oat starch compared with wheat starch. The recovery of wheat NSP in ileal digesta was 82–104 % compared with 64–66% for oats. The low recovery of NSP in oat diets was primarily due to the low recovery of β-glucans (25–36%). In the large intestine NSP and starch residues were extensively degraded. For the DF-depleted control diets or diets based on oats, 8–17% NSP survived breakdown while in the diets enriched with aleurone, pericarp/testa or bran fractions, NSP recovery was 33, 50 and 38 % respectively. Fermentative breakdown of carbohydrates in the large intestine was estimated to contribute between 10 and 24 % of the energy for maintenance. Energy derived from the inflow of organic acids from the ileum contributed an additional 1–4% of maintenance energy. In wheat endosperm, AX were broken down to a greater extent than cellulose, while the breakdown of AX in pericarp/testa was similar to that of cellulose. This difference in NSP breakdown can be explained by structural differences in the two types of cell walls. The breakdown of oat AX was lower than that of wheat flour. Wheat DF increased faecal bulk primarily by virtue of its physical presence and its water-holding capacity, while the oat DF stimulated faecal output through an increase in microbial biomass (Bach Knudsen et al. 1991). The result was a higher excretion of protein and fat. The higher fat excretion with the oat diets was probably due to a higher bile acid excretion caused by the more extensive fermentation of carbohydrates and the lower lumen pH.

The absorption of iron has been determined in nine healthy women studied serially during pregnancy and once post delivery. Following the oral administration of 5 mg aqueous 54FeSO4 plus ascorbic acid and the intravenous injection of 200 μg 57FeSO4, the isotope ratios of 54Fe: 56Fe and 57Fe:56Fe in serum were measured by the use of inductively-coupled-plasma mass spectrometry whereby metal ions are vaporized into an argon plasma without previous blood sample preparation. Mean oral Fe absorption was 7.6 (range 1–22) % at 12 weeks gestation, 21.1 (range 9–58) % at 24 weeks, 37.4 (range 18–56) % at 36 weeks and 26.3 (range 8–54) % at 12 weeks post delivery. All the other biochemical and haematological indices were within normal limits for pregnancy. The significant increase (P < 0.01) in Fe absorption during normal pregnancy suggests that most women would have the potential to meet the Fe demands of pregnancy without the need for supplementation if dietary Fe has similar availability to the aqueous preparation.

The present work was undertaken to study the microbial activity in various segments of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of pigs as influenced by the source and level of wheat and oat dietary fibre (DF). Eight experimental diets were prepared from wheat and oat fractions and studied in a series of two experiments using wheat flour as the DF-depleted control. The diets in Expt 1 were based on wheat flour and three iso-DF enriched diets comprising fractions rich in wheat aleurone, pericarp/testa or bran. In Expt 2, oat bran was added to wheat flour to achieve the same DF intake level as in Expt 1. This series included further diets based on rolled oats and rolled oats plus oat bran. The eight diets were given to thirty-two ileal-cannulated pigs, with sixteen pigs in each experiment. After a total period of 34 d (Expt 1) and 42 d (Expt 2), the pigs were slaughtered 4 h post-feeding and samples taken for adenine nucleotides (adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP); adenylate energy charge (AEC)), organic acids (lactic acid (LA); short chain fatty acids (SCFA)) and pH at twelve sites of the GI tract. The microbial activity as measured by the ATP concentration was low in the stomach and the cranial two-thirds of the small intestine, but tended to increase in the distal third. In the caecum a sharp rise in microbial activity was observed; the highest level was found for the diet providing most fermentable substrates. In all the diets but the rolled oats+oat bran diets, microbial activity showed a descending pattern as the digesta moved through the colon. In the large intestine source and level of residues had a marked influence on microbial activity. LA was the chief organic acid in the stomach and small intestine (10–40 mmol/l) while LA relative to SCFA was a minor component in the caecum and colon (10–20 mmol/l). The contribution of SCFA to total organic acids was reciprocal to LA, i. e. low in the stomach and small intestine (<20 mmol/l) and high in the caecum and colon. In the large intestine the concentration of SCFA decreased from 100–140 mmol/l in the caecum and proximal colon to 40–80 mmol/l in the distal colon. The acetic: propionic acid ratio increased from the caecum to the distal colon. With the diets based on oat alone (rolled oats; rolled oats+oat bran) the increase was less significant. DF addition and oats in particular increased the butyric acid molar ratio, from 0.06–0.08 for the wheat flour diet to 0.10–0.12 for the diet based on rolled oats+oat bran. For the same two diets the proportion of isobutyric and isovaleric acids increased more rapidly with the wheat-flour diet compared with the rolled oats+oat bran diet.