What is the primary site of starch digestion in horses?

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Question: What is the primary site of starch digestion in horses?

Option 1: Cecum
- The cecum is a major site for hindgut fermentation where fibrous plant material is fermented by microbes. While some microbial activity can process starch if it reaches the hindgut, the primary starch digestion does not occur here, so this answer is not correct for the question’s focus on the primary site.

Option 2: Stomach
- The stomach mainly handles mechanical breakdown and initial chemical digestion, and while some limited enzymatic activity occurs, it is not optimized for starch digestion. Amylase activity is low in the equine stomach, making this a poor choice for the primary site of starch digestion.

Option 3: Small intestine
- The small intestine is the main site where enzymatic digestion of starch occurs, primarily through pancreatic amylase breaking down starch into maltose and glucose for absorption. This aligns with the standard understanding of horse digestion before material passes to hindgut fermentation, making this the correct choice for primary starch digestion.

Option 4: Large colon
- The large colon is part of the hindgut where fermentation by microbes takes place, especially for fibrous material. Starch that escapes small intestinal digestion can be fermented here, but this is not the primary site for starch digestion. Therefore, this option is incorrect as the primary site.

In summary, while some starch can reach the hindgut and be fermented, the dominant, primary digestion of starch in horses occurs in the small intestine via pancreatic enzymes, making ‘Small intestine’ the correct answer and the others incorrect for this specific question.

ANSC20002_2025_SM2 Week 6 quiz

What is the primary site of starch digestion in horses?

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