As the United States swine industry shifts toward improving gut health in newly weaned pigs to decrease mortality rates, a Kansas State University student is studying ways to incorporate low acid binding ingredients into swine diets. Ethan Stas, a graduate research assistant in K-State’s Department of Animal Sciences and Industry, said acid binding ingredients are key to a concept known as acid-binding capacity, or ABC-4, which looks at the pH level of a pig’s stomach before the animal’s gastrointestinal tract matures.