Fat and fatty acid digestibility in blue foxes (Alopex lagopus) fed non-supplemented and inulin-supplemented diets

The research aimed to assess fat and fatty acid (fa) digestibility in foxes fed a standard diet without (0%) or with addition of low levels of inulin (0.25; 0.5 and 1% of diet,as-fed basis). twenty-four blue foxes were divided into four treatment groups. the chemical composition of the diet and dietary and fecal fa profile were analyzed. the main dietary fas were: palmitic (c16:0) and oleic (c18:1n-9) (38.63 and 32.50% total fas). linoleic acid (c18:2n-6) was the most abundant dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid (pufa) (87%). dietary fat and majority of individual fas were almost completely digested (>97%) regardless of the diet used. the lowest digestibility was shown by long-chain saturated fatty acids (sfa) (c22:0 and c20:0). addition of 0.5% inulin decreased (p<0.05) the digestibility of monounsaturated fatty acids (mufa) compared to the control and 0.25% inulin diet. supplementation of 0.5 and 1% inulin decreased (p<0.05) the digestibility of most abundant dietary sfa (c16:0 and c18:0),some mufa (c16:1n-7,c20:1n- 11) and the derivatives of essential fas from the n-6 family (c20:3 and c20:4) but had no effect on the absorption of the parent forms of essential fas (c18:2n-6 and c18:3n-3). the present study gives preliminary information on the effect of inulin on lipid digestibility in carnivorous animals so further investigations are needed to confirm our findings. © 2015 pvj.