Burping

Burping (also called belching and eructation) is the release of gas from the upper digestive tract (esophagus and stomach) of animals through the mouth.

In particular, burping by domesticated ruminants, such as cows or sheep, is a major contributor of methane emissions and may have a negative effect on the environment.

Significant research is being done to find mitigation strategies for ruminant burping, e.g. modifying the animals' diets with Asparagopsis taxiformis (red seaweed).

With reduced gravity, the stomach contents are more likely to rise up into the esophagus when the gastroesophageal sphincter is relaxed, along with the expelled air.

[29] This has led scientists at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation of Perth, Australia, to develop an anti-methanogen vaccine to minimize methane in cow burps.

[30] One reason why cows burp so much is that they are often fed foods that their digestive systems cannot fully process, such as corn and soy.

Some farmers have reduced burping in their cows by feeding them alfalfa and flaxseed, which are closer to the grasses that they had eaten in the wild before they were domesticated.