In the context of global advocacy for green and sustainable breeding, the search for natural, safe alternatives to antibiotics has become a core focus of the livestock and poultry industry. Yucca extract, derived from the secondary metabolites of yucca plants (such as Yucca schidigera and Yucca smalliana), has emerged as a promising feed additive due to its multiple functional properties. Rich in active components like saponins, polyphenols, and polysaccharides, it exerts positive effects on animal growth performance, intestinal health, and breeding environment improvement, gradually gaining widespread recognition in the breeding sector.


The functional efficacy of yucca extract is closely related to its diverse active components, whose synergistic effects regulate animal physiological metabolism and ecological environment in multiple ways.

Saponins, as the main active components in yucca extract, possess both hydrophobic and hydrophilic structural characteristics. This unique property enables them to adsorb harmful gases such as ammonia and hydrogen sulfide produced in the animal intestinal tract, thereby reducing their emission and improving the air quality of breeding houses. Meanwhile, saponins can enhance the permeability of pathogenic bacterial cell walls, inhibiting the growth of Escherichia coli and Salmonella, while promoting the proliferation of beneficial bacteria like lactic acid bacteria to maintain intestinal microecological balance.

Polyphenols in yucca extract, including resveratrol and yuccaols, exhibit significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. They can scavenge free radicals in animal bodies, alleviate intestinal mucosal inflammation, and improve the integrity of the intestinal barrier, which is conducive to nutrient absorption. Polysaccharides, on the other hand, can activate macrophages and lymphocytes, enhancing the body's immune response and disease resistance.

Additionally, yucca extract can inhibit the activity of urease in the intestinal tract, reducing the decomposition of urea into ammonia, which not only improves nitrogen utilization in feed but also further reduces environmental pollution caused by ammonia emission. The ammonia-binding capacity of yucca extract is usually evaluated by the B50 value, which refers to the amount of extract required to bind 50% of ammonia. A lower B50 value indicates stronger ammonia-binding capacity, and high-quality yucca extract typically has a B50 value of less than 4 mg, enabling it to stably reduce ammonia emission in breeding environments


Application in Swine Breeding
Yucca extract has shown remarkable application value in swine production. Studies have indicated that adding 0.01%–0.03% yucca extract to the diet of finishing pigs can increase daily gain by 8%–12% and reduce the feed conversion ratio by 5%–7%. In a large-scale pig farm trial, the average weight of 150-day-old finishing pigs increased from 110 kg to 118 kg, and the feed cost per kilogram decreased by 0.3 yuan. For weaned piglets, it can significantly reduce the diarrhea rate by inhibiting pathogenic bacteria and alleviating intestinal inflammation—tests have shown that the diarrhea rate of piglets decreased from 18% to 6% after addition, and the mortality rate was reduced by 40%. Moreover, its antioxidant components can alleviate stress responses caused by transportation and grouping, improve pork tenderness by about 15%, and optimize fatty acid composition, enhancing meat quality.

Application in Dairy Cow Breeding
For ruminants like dairy cows, yucca extract plays an important role in regulating rumen metabolism. Hristov et al. (1999) reported that adding yucca extract can reduce the number of protozoa in the rumen of heifers, thereby affecting rumen fermentation patterns. Hess et al. (2003) confirmed through pure culture experiments that saponins in yucca extract can directly inhibit the activity of methanogens, reducing methane production without affecting the quantity of methanobacteria, which is conducive to improving energy utilization. A study adopting a 4×4 Latin square experimental design further found that adding yucca extract to the diet of dairy cows at different doses (0, 5, 15, 30 g/day) can linearly reduce the maximum rumen ammonia nitrogen concentration from 228 mg/L to 109 mg/L, while linearly increasing the propionic acid content in rumen volatile fatty acids. Although it has no significant effect on dry matter intake and milk yield, it can increase milk fat content from 38.9 g/kg to 42.0 g/kg. Furthermore, yucca extract can alter the composition of rumen microorganisms, adjusting the proportion of Prevotellaceae and Fibrobacteraceae, which is beneficial to improving nitrogen utilization and reducing environmental pressure.

Application in Poultry Breeding
In broiler breeding, yucca extract can effectively improve growth performance and carcass quality. Sahoo, S. P., & Kaur, D. (2025) conducted a study on broiler chicks in winter and found that adding 125 mg/kg yucca extract to the diet increased the 6th-week body weight of broilers by 173 g compared with the control group, with better feed conversion rate, protein efficiency ratio, and energy efficiency ratio. The eviscerated weight ratio of the treatment group reached 58.50%, significantly higher than 54.10% of the control group, and the breast meat yield increased from 30.33% to 32.23%. It also helps reduce the moisture content of litter, improve breeding environment hygiene, and reduce aggressive behaviors among broilers, thereby increasing breeding profitability—the profit per unit live weight increased by 43.68% in the trial. For laying hens, it can reduce ammonia concentration in chicken houses, improve laying rate and egg quality, and reduce mortality caused by ascites. Notably, yucca extract also shows good application effects in aquatic breeding, which can inhibit Vibrio growth, block the invasion of white spot syndrome virus, and improve the survival rate of Penaeus vannamei.


Yucca extract has high safety, it leaves no residues in animal tissues and does not require a withdrawal period, which is in line with the requirements of green and safe livestock product production. As a natural plant extract, it can partially replace antibiotics in feed, reducing the risk of bacterial resistance and meeting the global trend of restricting antibiotic use in breeding.With the continuous improvement of breeding industry standards and consumer demand for high-quality livestock products, the application of yucca extract in feed additives will have broader prospects. 


Naturalin, as a leading provider of natural feed additives, specializes in high-purity yucca extract standardized to saponins and polysaccharides. Its products undergo rigorous quality control, comply with international safety standards, and are widely adopted by top-tier feed manufacturers and livestock enterprises across Asia, Europe, and North America.

References
1. Han, B., & Chen, G. (2016). Research Advances of Action Mechanism of Yucca smalliana Extract and Its Application in Poultry. Journal of Anhui Agricultural Sciences, 44(2), 86-87, 93.
2. Sahoo, S. P., & Kaur, D. (2025). Evaluation of Yucca schidigera extract as feed additive on performance of broiler chicks in winter season. Vet World, 18(3), 456-462. PMC4774811.
3. Hristov, A. N., & Jouany, J. P. (1999). Effects of saponins on rumen fermentation and methane production in vitro. Journal of Animal Science, 77(Suppl. 2), 304-306.
4. Hess, H. D., Wang, Y., & Beauchemin, K. A. (2003). Effects of saponins on methanogenesis and rumen microbial community structure in vitro. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 109(3-4), 233-247.
5. Li, J., & Zhang, H. (2023). Application of Yucca Extract in Aquatic and Livestock Breeding: Efficacy and Mechanism. Chinese Journal of Animal Nutrition, 35(7), 4120-4128.