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06 Jun 2014

Fibre Facts & Definitions

Posted By : Guest

Filed Under : Nutrition | Chinchillas | Guinea Pig Food | Rabbit Food | Veterinary News

Fibre facts:

Fibre is the most important ingredient in rabbit food. It is essential for normal wear of teeth. So much so that FEDIAF state “For the health and well-being of a rabbit good quality hay should be fed at all times”.

Daily fibre intake is essential to the rabbit to maintain normal:

gut function

dental wear

fermentation in the caecum.

Fibre comes mainly from plant cell walls.

Plant cell walls containing lignin, cellulose and silicate phytoliths are also important for salivation and dental health.

Plant cell walls consist of polysaccharides associated with;

glycoproteins

phenolic compounds

acetic acid

lignin

Fibre definitions:

Digestible fibre – a young growing plant cell has primary cell walls, which contains fermentable or digestible fibre. This fibre supports caecal fermentation.

Indigestible fibre – older plants develop secondary cell walls, which consist mainly of cellulose and lignin. The secondary cell wall, often called indigestible fibre, maintains gut motility and function.

Total Dietary Fibre (TDF) – This refers to the total cell wall components and is the sum of soluble and insoluble fibres.

Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF) – Consists mostly of the hemicellulose, lignocellulose and all the cellulose.

Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF) – Consists of cellulose and most of the lignin.

Hemicellulose – (NDF – ADF = the hemicellulose content of the diet)

Acid Detergent Lignin (ADL) – Represents nearly all lignins.

Crude Fibre (CF) – CF represents 20-90% of the lignin and 30-100% cellulose depending upon the plant. It is generally considered a poor measure to use when making a complete diet for a rabbit.

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