MICROBIAL ECOLOGY IN HEALTH AND DISEASE VOL. 5: 87-92 111992) Effect of Dietary Lactosucrose on Faecal Flora and Faecal Metabolites of Dogs

The effects of lactosucrose on faecal flora and faecal metabolites, were studied in eight shepherd dogs fed 1.5 g of lactosucrose/each/day for 2 wk. During lactosucrose administration, the levels of bifidobacteria expressed as log, no./ g of stool were increased significantly (P< 0.05) from 8.9 k 0.5 to 9.4f 0.4 (mean f SD), while the levels of Clostridium pefringms decreased significantly (P<0.05) from 6.0 f I.2 to 4.4 1.1 and 3.1 k 0.8. No detectable change occurred in the levels of other organisms throughout the experimental periods. Faecal concentrations of ammonia, phenol, indole, skatol, ethylphenol and butyric acid were significantly (P< 0.05) reduced from 427.4 288.6 pg/g to 172.5 & 84.5 pg/g, from 49.2 25.7 Fg/g to 25.9 k 8.3 lg/g, from 34.4 k 16.0 pg/g to 18.9 k 9.2 pg/g, from 3.0 f 2. I pg/g to 1.3 k 0.5 pg/g, from 8.5 k 9.3 pg/g to 0 pg/g, and from 2.56 f 0.98 mg/g to 1.53 3- 0.78 mg/g respectively on day 14 of lactosucrose administration compared to pre-administration. The water content of the faeces increased significantly ( P < 0.05) from 74.3 1.2 per cent and 76.9 f 1.5 per cent during administration, but the pH values decreased only slightly. The odour of the faeces decreased remarkably during lactosucrose administration