Effect of the insoluble dietary fibre from oil palm fat-free flour on digestibility in rats

This work shows the results of comparing the effects of the insoluble dietary fibre from oil palm fat-free flour and cellulose on the growth, weight, humidity and composition of faeces in adult rats (Sprague–Dawley). Five groups of rats were fed for 4 weeks. The control group was fed with a diet free of fibre, and the remaining four groups with diets containing 50 or 100 g of either oil palm fat-free flour or cellulose, respectively. The adaptation period was 4 days. The evolution of growth and food intake did not vary significantly p<0.05 regardless of the type of diet. On the other hand, faeces excretion increased by 3.3–4.7 g/day in the groups of rats fed with oil palm fat-free flour, while it increased by only 3.1–4 g/day in diets based on cellulose. A higher content of water was observed in the faeces of rats fed with insoluble dietetic fibre from oil palm fat-free flour. The apparent digestibility of the insoluble dietary fibre of oil palm fat-free flour was low (35%), showing resistance to fermentation. The digestibility of the protein tended to decrease more with the insoluble dietary fibre of oil palm than with the cellulose, which may be related. ©