Goat Postpartum Supplement Using Plant Extracts for Parasite Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Goats in the postpartum period face increased nutritional demands and susceptibility to gastrointestinal strongyle parasites, leading to immune system breakdown and parasitic infestations, for which existing solutions lack effective natural alternatives.
Innovation Solution
A postpartum nutritional supplement composition for goats comprising between 33.3 and 50 wt% of Pistacia lentiscus leaf extract, between 25 and 33.3 wt% of Quercus coccifera leaf extract, and between 25 and 33.3 wt% of Olea europaea spp. sylvestris leaf extract, with 250-300 mg of total phenolic compounds per g, designed to be mixed with concentrate feed to control gastrointestinal parasitism.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If goats are fed conventional concentrate feed during postpartum period, then nutritional needs are met, but gastrointestinal strongyle parasitism increases due to immune system breakdown
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple plant extracts (Pistacia lentiscus, Quercus coccifera, and Olea europaea spp. sylvestris) into a single supplement composition that integrates the anthelmintic properties of each plant. This combination creates a synergistic effect that provides both nutritional value and parasitic control, resolving the contradiction between meeting nutritional needs and controlling parasitism.
Solution Approach 2:
The supplement composition is formulated as a composite material containing multiple bioactive compounds from different plant sources. Each plant contributes specific secondary metabolites (condensed tannins, saponins, flavonoids) that work together to provide anthelmintic activity while maintaining nutritional quality, thereby controlling parasitism without compromising nutrition.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If chemical and pharmaceutical anthelmintics are used continuously, then parasitic infestations are controlled, but public concern arises about chemical product usage in ruminant production
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful effect of chemical anthelmintics by replacing them with natural plant-based alternatives. The extract composition from Pistacia lentiscus, Quercus coccifera, and Olea europaea spp. sylvestris provides the same anthelmintic protection without the negative associations of synthetic chemicals, thereby controlling parasitism while eliminating chemical dependency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a disposable, single-use supplement composition that can be easily introduced into the feed system and discarded after use, replacing the need for continuous chemical treatment programs. This approach provides effective parasitic control without the long-term commitments and environmental concerns associated with chemical anthelmintics.
3Quantity of substance
If shrub vegetation is fed to goats, then bioactive compounds are consumed, but gastrointestinal strongyle parasite establishment increases during postpartum period
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the beneficial bioactive compounds (condensed tannins, saponins, flavonoids) from shrub vegetation and concentrates them into a standardized supplement composition. This extraction process isolates the active anthelmintic components, allowing goats to receive the protective effects of shrub vegetation without the harmful parasite establishment that occurs when feeding whole shrubs during the vulnerable postpartum period.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The composition effectively controls gastrointestinal strongyle parasites by reducing the viability of adult forms within the goat's gastrointestinal tract and inhibiting the hatching of eggs and larvicidal activity in the environment, providing a natural alternative for organic livestock farming.
Implementation Method 1
Individually mixing the dried and ground leaves of each shrub with a 70% v/v ethanol solution, using between 725 and 775 mL of ethanol solution per 100 ± 5 g of dried leaves of each shrub; Submitting each ethanol mixture to a temperature between 40 and 45 °C in an ultra-sound bath for a time between 2 and 3 h, obtaining an ethanol extract solution from each shrub
Implementation Method 2
Submitting each ethanol mixture to a temperature between 40 and 45 °C in an ultra-sound bath for a time between 2 and 3 h
Implementation Method 3
Filtering and evaporating the ethanol from each extract solution at a temperature between 40 to 45 °C, with ventilation
Implementation Method 4
Lyophilizing each extract solution
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
The present application related to a postpartum nutritional supplement composition for goats. The composition is based in ethanolic extracts of Pistacia lentiscus, Quercus coccifera and Olea europaea spp. sylvestris. This composition is intended to be added to concentrated feed for these animals in the postpartum period, when animals are confined to survey the kidding process and mother-kid bonding. The objective is to promote the intake of these compounds to reach sufficient levels that allow an anthelmintic action on the adult parasitic population, as well as, through their excretion in the feces together with the parasitic forms, consequently reducing environmental contamination, particularly of infectious forms. The present application also discloses a process to obtain said postpartum nutritional supplement composition for goats.