Buffers in cow nutrition: Points to consider

Buffers are compounds that help to counteract an increase in acidity in the rumen. Here we look at dietary buffer supplementation, the points to consider, health and milk production, and we take a look at the impacts on dairy cows. The cow produces a natural buffer, saliva, which has a pH of around 8.4. She will produce somewhere between 10 and 32 litres of saliva per kg of dry matter consumed, with much higher saliva production when lots of roughage is consumed (Table 1). What this shows is t