Process for obtaining sapogenin particularly hecogenin from plant material such as agave sisalana leaves

摘要

An improved process for obtaining sapogenins, mainly hecogenin, from plants. This improved process involves collecting, undiluted, the juice of sisal leaves and subjecting this juice to acid hydrolysis at elevated temperature and pressure. The sapogenin fraction is then recovered as crude hecogenin, which constitutes a water insoluble reaction product in the hydrolyzate. This is further purified by extraction with an appropriate organic solvent to yield a high quality crystallizable mixture of hecogenin and tigogenin. From this mixture of sapogenin the hecogenin is separated further from the tigogenin by preferential acetylation and recrystallization.