The rumen is a highly dynamic and sensitive ecosystem that can easily become destabilized under intensive feeding conditions. Several factors increase the risk of digestive imbalance and acidosis, particularly:
- abrupt dietary transitions toward high-energy rations,
- feedlot diets rich in concentrates and low in physically effective fiber, as well as inconsistent grain processing.
- management-related challenges and feedlot-associated stress may reduce feed intake stability, further increasing the susceptibility of animals to ruminal dysfunction and acidosis.
Through its stabilizing effect on ruminal pH, pHix-up® helps maintain rumen balance and supports the optimization of high-energy rations under a variety of feedlot. In fact, pHix-up® has been extensively tested under both controlled experimental conditions and in numerous field trials around the world.
In 2024, a Brazilian feedlot study (Benthacourt et al., 2024) evaluated the effects of pHix-up® at 0.5% of dry matter intake (DM) compared to: a control diet (no buffer), a diet with ionophores (0.01% DM), and a combination of pHix-up® and ionophores.
The results demonstrated that steers receiving pHix-up® maintained a higher ruminal pH, exhibited increased ruminal papillae surface area, and greater dry matter intake, which translated into improved performance, including higher average daily gain (ADG), greater final body weight, and increased hot carcass weight. These benefits were observed even when ionophores was included in the diet, indicating that their combined use may provide complementary advantages in beef cattle production systems.
Carcass quality was also improved in animals fed pHix-up®, as evidenced by a larger longissimus muscle area and greater subcutaneous fat thickness.
pHix-up® also enhanced rumen microbial protein synthesis and total-tract digestibility of organic matter compared to a control diet (no buffer), both with and without ionophores, in another study conducted in Brazil using cannulated animals (Nascimento et al., 2024).
A trial conducted at Texas A&M University (Colombo et al., 2022) involving feedlot steers and heifers demonstrated that supplementation with pHix-up® at 0.25% of dietary dry matter, compared with a control diet, improved animal welfare. This effect was evidenced by reduced hair cortisol concentrations, suggesting an enhanced ability of the animals to cope with feedlot-related stress.
These results indicate that the benefits of pHix-up® extend beyond its effect on ruminal pH. The product also allows you to:
- support ruminal stability,
- promote a more efficient utilization of high-energy feedlot diets,
- help mitigate chronic stress associated with feedlot conditions.
