Digestibility of protein and dry matter in caecectomised and intact rats

The dry matter digestibility (DMD) of sifted granulated maize meal and the digestibility of the protein in yellow haricot beans were determined in intact and caecectomised rats. The experiments were done to ascertain whether microbial activity in the caecum has an effect on the digestibility. Removal of the caecum resulted in a decrease of 9 percentage units in the DMD value but had no appreciable effect on the protein digestibity data.