Motivation for research

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Catarina highlights that the animal feed industry, based on knowledge about the properties that tannins, saponins and phenolic compounds exert on plants, began to develop additives containing extracts. These products seek to take advantage of these antimicrobial properties, the antioxidant compounds and the natural polyphenols that are extracted. In the case of tannins, excess in foods and ingredients has been considered over the years as an anti-nutritional factor for birds, as they can interfere with digestion. However, positive effects have started to be observed when tannins are present in small quantities in animal feed, and this has been motivating research at UFSM. In addition to professor and researcher Catarina Stefanello and partner companies, doctoral students from the Postgraduate Program in Animal Science Yuri Katagiri Dalmoro and Otoniel Félix de Souza, and master's students in Animal Science Guilherme Librelotto de Godoy, Bárbara Moreira dos Santos ( in memoriam ) and Carine Beatriz Adams. Undergraduate students in Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine also participated in the studies and were awarded research grants.

Find out more about the plants used: Quillaja and Yucca Quillaja saponaria is a tree native to Chile, whose trunk bark is rich in saponins, and Yucca schidigera is a plant native to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. In plants, saponins and polyphenolic compounds act naturally to prevent insect attacks and pathogen invasion. Due to their chemical properties, extracts from these plants have been widely used by the pharmaceutical industry, in soaps and detergents, shampoos, cosmetics, vaccines and soft drinks. They are also used as additives in pet food, aiming to reduce DM Databases the odor of feces, anion of tannins and the export of wood. This plant stands out in the production of tannins, as the extract obtained from its bark is of superior quality to other trees with similar characteristics, making it the main source of vegetable tannin extraction in the world. It originates from Australia and is widely cultivated in several countries, especially in Brazil and the African continent due to its rapid growth and quality wood, with potential for the production of firewood and charcoal. In Brazil, cultivation is concentrated in the South region, mainly in Rio Grande do Sul.



Tannins are characterized as secondary metabolites, acting as a plant defense mechanism, with protection against possible attacks from predators, pathogens and adverse conditions. The tissues that contain these metabolites, such as leaves, fruits and bark, present one of the main characteristics of tannins: astringency. The astringent flavor of the leaves and fruits aims to prevent their consumption by animals through the interaction between polyphenols and salivary proteins, causing a reduction in lubrication and preventing growing plants from suffering damage. This may interfere with animal consumption, however for birds, this appears to have no effect, as birds have fewer taste buds in their mouths when compared to other animals. Text: Gabriela Leandro, Journalism academic and volunteer at the News Agency Photo: Disclosure Edition: Ricardo Bonfanti, journalistThese animals are subsequently sent for necropsy”, highlights Vanessa. The award went to employees with the highest number of registrations on the application. For the researcher, the award was recognition of an effort she has made to collaborate with health bodies in this surveillance.