Bioactive natural compounds present in camellia seed meal are advancing the feed additive industry by being non-toxic and not leaving any residues.

Created on 02.05

Saccharicterpenin is a natural bioactive compound that has been discovered to be a good substitute for antibiotic feed additives due to the worldwide desire for eco-friendly and healthy breeding methods. Saccharicterpenin is an organic bioactive molecule that is composed of 30% of carbohydrates and 30% of triterpenoid saponins and organic acids. It is usually in the form of a brownish-yellow, ash-free microcrystalline powder. 

Since 2020 when China enforced the total ban on antibiotics in feed, there has been a dramatic increase in the demand for green feed additives. Nutritional benefits of this feed additive have been demonstrated to boost production performance of the animals and enhance the quality of livestock and poultry products besides minimising the residue levels of medications in the products. 

Chemical Source and Isolation of Saccharicterpenin 

Saccharicterpenin is generated from the seed meal of Theaceae plants and the primary raw material is Camellia oleifera seed meal. China is the leading producer of camellia oleifera seeds in the world and it produces 600,000 tons of camellia oleifera seeds every year. This provides more than enough raw materials for the production of saccharicterpenin. 

Extraction Technology. The saccharicterpenin is produced by the method of dynamic countercurrent extraction and the chromatographic separation technology. The steps are weighed followed by the addition of tea seed meal to the dissolution of the solvent in specified proportions. It is extracted three times with microwave enhanced extraction and the extract is combined and concentrated under reduced pressure to recover the solvent and then to add water to prepare the suspension. 

At present, saccharicterpenin extraction is more efficient owing to super critical fluid extraction (SFE) technology. This process uses carbon dioxide as an extraction solvent and is performed at the temperatures of 35-55℃ and the pressures of 25-50MPa, which retain the natural state of the product without leaving behind organic solvent residue. 

The chemical and physical properties of saccharicterpenin do not react. The material is not soluble saccharicterpenin in ether, chloroform, acetone, benzene, and petroleum ether but it is soluble in warm water, carbon disulfide, and ethyl acetate. Saccharicterpenin is readily soluble in aqueous methanol, aqueous ethanol, n-butanol and glacial acetic acid. 

Efficacy and Mechanism of Action of Saccharicterpenin 

The action mechanism of saccharicterpenin is entirely different from that of antibiotics. The antibiotics inhibit or kill the harmful microorganisms in the digestive system of livestock and poultry to prevent disease, but saccharicterpenin enhances growth by supporting the immune and endocrine systems of animals. 

Saccharicterpenin enhances the neuroendocrine immune function, disease resistance and stress resistance of animal bodies. Studies indicate that saccharicterpenin enhances the immune response of healthy animals, and enhances the immune response of sick chickens, and it has a significant impact on neuroimmune regulation and antiviral activity. 

Saccharicterpenin demonstrates a powerful antioxidant property which becomes stronger as its concentration grows through effective free radical scavenging. The experiments demonstrate that saccharicterpenin protects vitamin A and crude fat in feed from oxidation while reducing the acid value and peroxide value of the feed. 

Saccharicterpenin is evidently able to control the working of the cAMP/cGMP system, and at the same time, it promotes protein synthesis and digestive activity to promote growth. The cAMP and cGMP content in the blood of broiler chickens is significantly increased by saccharicterpenin. The content of all the proteins in the blood and the digestive activity in the small intestine are also increased by this compound. 

Saccharicterpenin brings a beneficial effect on poultry breeding. Feeding experiments of broilers show that the use of saccharicterpenin leads to a 10% increase in survival rate, 13% increase in daily weight gain, and 8% reduction in feed-to-meat ratio. Feeding experiments of commercial laying hens demonstrate that the use of saccharicterpenin causes a 10% increase in laying rate, and a 7.5% decrease in feed-to-egg ratio. 

Its use of pig feed is also impressive. Feeding experiments with 200 growing-finishing pigs indicate that the addition of 200-300 mg/kg saccharicterpenin has a favorable growth-promoting effect that may enhance the feed utilization rate and reduce the feed cost. Comparative experiments indicate that when saccharicterpenin is used to substitute the usual drug feed additives, such as olaquindox and zinc bacitracin, the daily gain and feed utilization rate of piglets are more than other test groups. 

In aquaculture, saccharicterpenin is chosen because it is harmless to nature and does not leave any remnants.¬†According to research, when carp are fed 150mg/kg saponins for 14 weeks, the weight of carp increases significantly, the rate of lipid conversion increases, and the rate conversion of feed and metabolic output are all significantly enhanced. 

Saccharicterpenin is very effective under heat stress conditions. The studies have shown that saccharicterpenin feed additives can help farmers make more money with their laying hens in the hot season due to its bioactive components which have antipyretic and sedative effects that can help balance the internal environment of the animal. 

Future Market Potential And Growth Direction 

As consumers are now more concerned about the safety of food and the well-being of the animals, the green feed additive business is expanding dramatically. Saccharicterpenin is a feed additive that has been developed in China independently and has a huge business potential. 

With regard to policy, the restrictions on feed antibiotics are becoming stricter around the world, which is giving development opportunities to natural alternatives such as saccharicterpenin. The Ministry of Agriculture has authorized saccharicterpenin as a novel feed additive and has listed it in the Catalogue of Feed Additive Varieties. 

The growing saccharicterpenin industry is relying on technological innovation to achieve its future growth potential. The new process techniques like the supercritical extraction are not only improving the purity of products but also ensuring that the production process is environmentally friendly and sustainable according to the sustainable development principles. 

Saccharicterpenin can be used as a functional feed in the future. Besides its growth enhancing effect it will be added value in improving the quality of livestock and poultry products and in increasing stress resistance, which will be a growing area of concern. 

The international expansion of the market is also an important aspect of development. The feed additive businesses in China are expected to promote the use of saccharicterpenin and other environmentally friendly products in many other countries and regions as the belt and Road Initiative continues to develop the global breeding industry in a sustainable approach. 

The breeding industry is developing in a highly accelerated way because of its shift to the direction of antibiotic free production. The growing popularity of saccharicterpenin as a natural feed supplement has been evidenced by the fact that its advantages are becoming more and more apparent. Saccharicterpenin is very good at improving the immunity of animals and the quality of their products, and this renders it a good alternative to antibiotics. 

Since extraction techniques are being enhanced and research on applications is expanding, saccharicterpenin will be more beneficial to the safe production of animal husbandry and deliver safer, high-quality animal products to consumers. 

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