SAPONINS TO PROMOTE RESILIENCE AGAINST COCCIDIOSIS
Orffa, as an innovative feed solutions provider, has developed natural products to support poultry health. One of them is Excential Sapphire Q, a unique blend of Quillaja saponaria extract, a source of triterpenoid saponins, and an aluminosilicate. Among the many different bioactive compounds found in plants, saponins have been extensively studied due to their diverse biological activities. Saponins are found in many plant species and are known to be antimicrobial, antifungal, and to protect plants from insect attack (Francis et al., 2002). Consequently, saponin extracts from plants such as the Quillaja saponaria Molina tree have a wide range of applications in livestock production and can be used as antibacterial, antiviral, and antiparasitic agents, as well as vaccine adjuvants (Fleck et al., 2019). Saponins are amphiphilic molecules because they contain a lipophilic nucleus and hydrophilic carbohydrate side chains (Francis et al., 2002; Augustin et al., 2011). The hydrophobic part can integrate into the membrane of protozoa (such as Eimeria spp.), resulting in pore formation and cell lysis (Augustin et al., 2011; Fleck et al., 2019). This amphiphilic property positions saponin-rich plant extracts among the promising approaches to control coccidiosis in poultry. Furthermore, apart from a direct anti-parasitic effect, Quillaja saponins can also enhance the immune responsiveness of broilers to the presence of Eimeria infection (Kensil, 1996; Barr et al., 1998).
Coccidiosis, caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Eimeria, is one of the most economically important disease challenges affecting broiler production worldwide. With a global cost estimated at US$13 billion or US$0.20 per bird (Blake et al., 2020). In order to replicate, these parasites invade the intestinal cells of the host, which results in tissue damage, impaired nutrient digestion and absorption, and compromised well-being and growth performance in broilers (Mesa-Pineda et al., 2021). Furthermore, coccidiosis is also associated with promoting secondary diseases such as necrotic enteritis induced by Clostridium perfringens (Lee et al., 2011). The extensive prophylactic use of anticoccidials has resulted in resistant Eimeria strains and loss of efficacy (Abbas et al., 2011). Vaccines, on the other hand, are expensive and, if managed incorrectly, can predispose the animals to subclinical coccidiosis and necrotic enteritis. In broilers, vaccines often do not lead to a timely build-up of immunity (Mesa-Pineda et al., 2021). Therefore, broiler producers are looking for new tools to add to their coccidiosis management strategy.
Recently, a trial was completed to study the effect of Excential Sapphire Q (Orffa Additives B.V.) in broilers raised on used litter. A total of 1152 one-day-old Ross 708 male broilers were divided over four treatments, each with 12 replicates:
- Positive control reared on clean litter, with no additive or anticoccidial in the feed (PC)
- Negative control reared on used litter, with no additive or anticoccidial in the feed (NC)
- NC with 60 ppm coccidiostat (salinomycin) added to the feed (NC+sal)
- NC Excential Sapphire Q, providing 30 ppm of Quillaja saponaria extract in the feed (NC+sap-al)
Used litter was generated by housing chicks that received a 10x dose of Coccivac® B52 via feed for two days and raised until 18 days of age to allow birds to shed oocysts. Litter was then mixed and redistributed into the trial pens.
In the trial period, between 22 to 24 days of age, oocyst excretion was reduced by 39.7% and 41.3% compared to negative control, when salinomycin or the saponin-aluminosilicate blend was fed, re-spectively, indicating a direct anticoccidial effect of these additives (Figure 1).
