Effect of soya protein on digestive enzymes, gut hormone and anti-soya antibody plasma levels in the preruminant calf.

The effect of a milk substitute diet containing concentrated soya protein on secretory functions of the abomasum and pancreas and on plasma concentrations of gut hormones and soya antibodies was studied. Sixteen calves aged 12-19 weeks were given a milk substitute in which a major part of the protein source was either soya concentrate (soya diet) or skim milk (control diet). The soya diet was prepared by hot aqueous ethanol extraction of soya bean meal to remove oligosaccharides and inactivate antigenic constituents. Circulatory IgG antibodies against soya proteins were found in all of the calves when they were 16 weeks of age. Their titres increased slightly between 16 and 19 weeks, irrespective of the diet. It seems unlikely that the presence of these antibodies was related specifically to the feeding of the soya concentrate. At slaughter the weight of the gastric mucosa and pancreas and quantities of pancreatic protein together with specific activities of trypsin and chymotrypsin were significantly lower (17, 20, 16, 30 and 36%, respectively) with the soya diet. The quantities of enzymes in the gastric mucosa or the specific activity of pancreatic amylase were not affected, whereas that of lipase increased by 26%. Total enzyme activities as well as units per kg live weight gave significant differences only for trypsin and chymotrypsin which were reduced by 43 and 38%, respectively. With the soya diet, fasting concentrations of gastric inhibitory peptide (GIP) and secretin in plasma samples were significantly lower (49 and 34%, respectively). Values of GIP were also lower (54%) 1 h after feeding. In contrast, postprandial values of cholecystokinin (CCK) were 1.4 times greater. No significant differences were found between the two diets for gastrin, vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), bovine pancreatic polypeptide (BPP), somatostatine and motilin. In general these observations could be explained, in part, by the more rapid passage of protein and fat from the abomasum to the duodenum following feeds containing soya concentrate. However, these differences in concentrations of gut hormones did not seem to be related to variations in the weights of gastric mucosa and pancreas or activities of pancreatic enzymes.