Evaluation of the effects of the inclusion of increasing levels of an alternative source of hemicellulose on fermentative variables and fecal microbiota of healthy adult dogs

• Grant number: 25/13139-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: August 31, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Nutrition and Feeding
• Principal Investigator: Thiago Henrique Annibale Vendramini
• Grantee: Vinícius Eduardo Silva Perin
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Fiber has been highlighted as one of the main categories of studies within the pet industry. This is because it has great potential to benefit intestinal health, helping, for example, in the production of short-chain fatty acids and other metabolites. The provision of fiber in the diet is related to a greater diversity in the intestinal microbiota and a lower presence of possible intestinal pathogens. Beet pulp is one of the main fibrous ingredients used in the formulation of diets for dogs, but its production in countries such as Brazil is not done on a large scale. Hemicellulose is one of the main fibrous components of beet pulp, and can be extracted from several sources, but is generally found in the cell wall of plants. Several oligosaccharides can originate from hemicellulose, bringing several beneficial effects to intestinal health. This study seeks to evaluate the effects of including increasing levels of an alternative source of hemicellulose in place of beet pulp, focusing on the fecal microbiota and fermentation variables of healthy adult dogs. Eight adult dogs will be fed the following diet: control food (AC), a formula with 4.0% beet pulp; 33% food (A33), a formula with 33% of the beet pulp replaced by an alternative source of hemicellulose; 66% food (A66), a formula with 66% of the beet pulp replaced; and 100% food (A100), completely replacing the beet pulp. The experimental design adopted will consist of two contemporary 4x4 Latin squares.