Agricultural and Pharmaceutical Applications of Chilean Soapbark Tree {Quillaja saponaria) Saponins

摘要

The Chilean soapbark tree (Quillaja saponaria) is native to semiarid regions of Chile. Its bark is a rich source of saponins. For hundreds of years, quillaja bark has been used in Chile by indigenous people to prepare shampoo because of the profuse foaming properties of quillaja saponins. During the 20th century to the present quillaja extract has had numerous applications such as a foaming agent in beverages, preparation of vaccine adjuvants, ore separation in mining, as a nematocidal agent in cropproduction, and as an animal feed additive. These applications and numerous others are a consequence of the surfactant activity of quillaja saponins. Quillaja saponins have a triterpenoid nucleus and two carbohydrate side chains. The nucleus (sapogenin)is lipid soluble while the side chains are water soluble, accounting for the surfactant properties. In addition to saponins quillaja contains polyphenolics and oligosaccharides. Traditionally the quillaja bark has been used as a source of saponins; a newprocess utilizes the entire woody biomass (San Martin and Briones 1999).