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Article: The degree of methylation influences the degradation of pectin in the intestinal tract of rats and in vitro
- Article from:
- The Journal of Nutrition
- Article date:
- July 1, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright American Institute of Nutrition Jul 2002. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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The Degree of Methylation Influences the Degradation of Pectin in the Intestinal Tract of Rats and In Vitro1
ABSTRACT We investigated the degradation, metabolism, fate, and selected effects of pectin in the intestinal tract of rats. Conventional and germfree rats were fed for 3 wk diets containing 6.5% pectin (degree of methylation 34.5, 70.8 and 92.6%, respectively) or pectin-free diets. Pectin passes the small intestine as a macromolecule. The molecular weight distribution of pectins isolated from intestinal contents of germfree rats were unaffected by diet. No or very little galacturonan was found in cecum, colon or feces of most of the conventional rats. In colon contents of some ...