Effects of fibre derived from passion fruit seed on the activities of ileum mucosal enzymes and colonic bacterial enzymes in hamsters
2005
Chau, C.F. | Huang, Y.L. | Chang, F.Y.
Passion fruit, a popular tropical fruit, produces a large quantity of edible seeds as agricultural byproducts after juice extraction. The defatted passion fruit seed (PFS) contained a high level of insoluble fibre (approximately 90%, w/w) of desirable characteristics and physicochemical properties. Cellulose, pectic substances and hemicellulose were the major structural polysaccharides of the PFS insoluble fibre. In this study, the influence of the PFS insoluble fibre on the activities of ileum mucosal enzymes and colonic bacterial enzymes was investigated. It was found that the incorporation of the PFS insoluble fibre into a fibre-free diet at 5% level significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the intestinal amylase activity (137%), reduced the caecal pH (6.22), decreased the caecal ammonia content (-38.6%) and faecal ammonia output (-21.2%), and also decreased the activities of beta-D-glucosidase (-37.4%), beta-D-glucuronidase (-52.9%), mucinase (-35.5%) and urease (-91.4%) in faeces. Our results suggested that PFS insoluble fibre might exert favourable effects on intestinal health. The fact that PFS insoluble fibre was more effective than cellulose in improving intestinal health suggested it could be exploited as a new functional ingredient to promote intestinal function and health.
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