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A 'buffy coat' is the roughly 1% of blood that includes multiple types of white blood cells and plays a key role in fighting off disease.
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When blood is centrifuged, white blood cells and platelets form a layer called the buffy coat between the plasma and red blood cells. It includes lymphocytes, monocytes, granulocytes, and platelets, which collectively produce antibodies, attack and kill invading microbes, digest potentially harmful microorganisms, and clot blood, as needed.
This layer accounts for less than 1% of blood, but its elevated leukocyte concentration makes it useful for toxicology research.
It's called a buffy coat because its light tan, a color that is sometimes described as "buff"
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