ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE September 2024 45 duction efficiency by reducing pathogen pressure and improving health, improve feed properties such as palatability, or to improve the quality of animal products. Depending on their origin and processing method, phytogenic compounds can be classed into categories such as herbs (flowering, nonwoody, and nonpersistent plants), spices (non-leaf parts of plants with an intensive smell or taste), essential oils (volatile lipophilic compounds derived by cold expression or via steam or alcohol distillation), or oleoresins (extracts derived by nonaqueous solvents). The bioactive compounds and concentrations thereof in phytogenic feed additives may vary according to the part of the plant used for processing, geographical origin, harvesting season, and processing techniques (Windisch et al., 2008). Phytogenic feed additives have the ability to improve the production efficiency of animals directly via an antibacterial or antiparasitic activity, or indirectly due to their antioxidative properties and immunomodulatory effects, by stimulating digestive secretions, enhancing enzyme activity, and their positive effects on intestinal morphology, gut barrier integrity, and nutrient digestibility (Windisch et al., 2008; Abdelli et al., 2021; Biswas et al., 2023). 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
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