Stable Gut Environment (pH) Effect

The rumen and cecum environment needs to remain very stable, regardless of the animal’s environment or diet. The temperature of the rumen stays between 100.4 to 104 degrees Fahrenheit, and averages about 102 degrees Fahrenheit. The rumen contents are approximately 88% water and 12% dry matter, regardless of diet. This means that for every 1 pound of dry matter in the rumen, there are approximately 7.3 pounds of water. The rumen stays at a pH of 5.5 to 7.0 under most dietary situations. The rumen pH is usually 6.0 to 7.0 when forage diets are fed, but can go below 5.0 when highly-processed grain diets are fed. When forages are fed, the act of rumination brings significant amounts of saliva into the rumen. The saliva contains buffers which raises the pH closer to neutral (7.0). This is important to forage digestion, as the ability of cellulolytic bacteria to adhere to fiber is reduced when the pH of the rumen is below 6.0. Amaferm^® has been found to result in an increase in growth rates of lactate utilizing bacteria (Beharka and Nagaraja, 1998), which may lead to a stabilization of ruminal pH, on both high-forage and high-grain diets, as high rumen lactate concentrations are often associated with reduced fiber digestion on high-forage diets, and acidosis on high-grain diets.

Specific research information can be found by clicking on the links below:

Frumholtz et al.,  1989

Martin and Nisbet,  1990

Nisbet and Martin, 1990

Westvig et al.,  1991

Waldrip and Martin,  1993