Effect of ketone bodies on crop emptying in the chicken

1. The effect of ketone bodies on crop emptying was studied in chickens in 2 experiments. In the first, the effect of β-hydroxybutyrate, acetoacetate or acetone on relative crop content was measured. The effects of dietary medium and long chain triacylglycerols upon serum β-hydroxybutyrate were investigated in the second. 2. β-Hydroxybutyrate, but not acetoacetate and acetone, delayed crop emptying in a dose dependent fashion. Serum β-hydroxybutyrate concentration was high in chicks given medium chain triacylglycerol, when compared with long chain triacylglycerol. 3. The results suggest that delayed crop emptying induced by medium chain triacylglycerol could partly be explained by an enhanced concentration of serum β-hydroxybutyrate, which is the result of the rapid oxidation of medium chain fatty acids.