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[RC] Carbohydrates in Beet Pulp - k s swigartBruce Weary said: Most literature says that the sugars left behind in processed beet pulp is negligible. ... Your turn. Well, since he asked... From the Ridecamp Archives (April 25, 2004) Susan Garlinghouse said: When I first started goofing around with beet pulp years ago, I had a number of samples analyzed for simple sugars, all of which came back very low. However, I was recently forwarded a copy of an analysis of some beet pulp (admittedly, only one sample) in which simple sugars ran incredibly high, over 30% ... Whether this one sample was a random event, or possibly a current trend towards sloppier refining practices, I don't know. I guess the important issue is that there seems to possibly be wide variation in the residual sugar content in commodity beet pulp. The full message can be found at: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/archives/past/04/17/msg00083.html So, while generally speaking the starch/sugar content of beet pulp is probably quite low, there is some evidence that this may not always be the case. Personally, I wouldn't choose beet pulp as a feed for its starch/sugar content on the hopes that I accidentally got a batch that may not have had all the sugar processed out of it (or that hasn't had too much molassas added back). But it might be worthwhile to realize that your beet pulp may have more sugar in it that you would first think. And, if beet pulp were "loaded" with sugars, and processed in the hind gut, wouldn't that potentially cause acidosis in the gut as the bacteria feed on those "loads" of sugars? Actually, no. If your batch of beet pulp happens to be loaded with sugar, that sugar wouldn't be processed in the hind gut (unless there was so much sugar that the stomach and small intestine couldn't take care of it before it got to the hind gut, which can also happen by feeding too much grain or any other starchy feed at once). It is only the fiber part of beet pulp that is processed in the hind gut. If there happens to be any starch in it, then the upper GI tract is capable of sorting this out, just as it would if you were to add the starch to your beet pulp yourself by mixing in some grain. Whether the starch/sugar is in the beet pulp when you buy it or you add it to it after you buy it makes no difference in the ability of the GI tract to process it. However, none of this changes the fact that beet pulp is loaded with carbohydrates. And even if all the carbohydrates in the beet pulp you feed are of the structural type (i.e. fiber), it can still be useful to a horse during a ride. Not for its energy content, as, indeed, the energy provided by any fiber intake during the course of a ride is not going to be available for use until long after the ride is over, but simply because the equine GI tract is designed predominantly (not exclusively) for processing fiber. And it is designed for processing fiber on a pretty much constant basis. Providing beet pulp, or some other fiber source during the ride goes a long way towards keeping the GI tract functioning the way it is supposed to. Providing it with small quantities of starch which can easily and quickly be converted to glucose is also a good thing. During the ride, I doubt very much of this will be converted to glycogen (as glycogen is one of the ways the body stores excess glucose, and there is unlikley to be much by the way of excess glucose during an endurance ride). However, another way that the body stores excess glucose is as fat...and the body CAN convert the fat back into glucose...but not without some glucose already available in the system. I was not saying that Bruce was wrong to suggest providing small quantities of feeds that can easily be converted to glucose in order to maintain enough glucose in the system so that all the other stores can be mobilized for use, but rather that he was wrong in saying that beet pulp contains no carbohydrates. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking that starch/sugar and carbohydrate are synonymous. However, this is not true. Starch/sugar is synonymous with non-structural carbohydrate. Bruce, in his post says that he was not referring to structural carbohydrates and referred to them as "tress and sawdust," giving the impression (whether intentionally or not) that structural carbohydrates are of no use for providing energy. But those trees and sawdust are exactly what a horse uses most for supplying energy to fuel its work....and you had better make sure that your horse has plenty of them on board before it even starts an endurance ride, or it will run out of energy pretty damn quickly no matter how much starch you try to feed it during the ride. There is no way to even come close to feeding a horse enough during a ride to fuel the entire effort, no matter what form you provide it in. kat Orange County, Calif. p.s. I can't speak much to fueling the efforts of marathon runners. However, in comparison to an endurance ride, the human marathon is practically a sprint. Human marathons are completed in times varying from 2 1/2 to 5 hours. Endurance rides are completed in times varying from 5 1/2 to 24 hours. One of the things that I CAN speak to with respect to human distance running is for an effort that extended to 14 1/2 hours (a 75 mile RAT). And one of the things I discovered while competing in that event, and having my doubts about my ability to complete it when I was about10 hours into the event: The problem was not that I did not have enough glucose on board, and eating quick acting starch/sugar rich foods did nothing to help solve my problem. My problem was that my stomach was empty, and my problem didn't go away until I limped into the ~62 mile vet check and got some food into my stomach that took up some room and couldn't be processed very quickly. What I needed was bulk to keep from doubling over with cramps. Cramps, I might add that were just made worse prior to the vet check by trying to feed myself with the fast acting "carbs" that I had along with me in my fanny pack. I wasn't out of fuel. I just had a stomach ache...because I went for too long without eating something with some substance to it. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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