The research was carried out to evaluate the ileal (ILEALDC) and total (TOTALDC) digestibility of the starch and the activity of the enzymes amylase (ACAMY) and maltase (ACMAL) in rabbits of 35 and 45 days old, fed with starch from the corn or cassava. In each assay 20 New Zealand White rabbits were used, being ten males and ten females, housed individually in wire cages and distributed in an entirely random arrange. At the end of the experimental period, the animals were killed for retreat a sample of the digestive content of a portion of the jejunum and ileum. ILEALDC and TOTALDC of the starch from cassava (59.25±1.38% and 99.89±0.04%, respectively) were higher than starch from corn (54.21±1.51% and 99.21±0.05%, respectively). TOTALDC of the animals at 45 days old was higher than animals at 35 days old (99.75± 0.04% vs 99.35±0.05%). ACAMY in the jejunum and ileum contends was higher in the animals at 45 days old (0.952±0.118 mmol glucose/mg/min and 0.647±0.093 mmol glucose/mg/min, respectively) than 35 days old (0.469±0.111 mmol glucose/mg/min and 0.375±0.088 mmol glucose/mg/min). ACMAL was higher in animals fed cassava than corn (0.061±0.007 mmol glucose/mg/min vs 0.032±0.007 mmol glucose/mg/min). It can be concluded the starch from cassava is more digestible than starch from corn, and the enzymatic system of the rabbits with 35 days old are not still sufficiently developed so that it happens the highest starch digestion.
amylase; cassava; corn; maltase
