Abstract
The naturally occurring saponins exhibit remarkable interfacial activity and also possess many biological activities linking to human health benefits, which make them particularly attractive as bifunctional building blocks for formulation of colloidal multiphase food systems. This review focuses on two commonly used food-grade saponins, Quillaja saponins (QS) and glycyrrhizic acid (GA), with the aim of clarifying the relationship between the structural features of saponin molecules and their subsequent self-assembly and interfacial properties. The recent applications of these two saponins in various colloidal multiphase systems, including liquid emulsions, gel emulsions, aqueous foams and complex emulsion foams, are then discussed. A particular emphasis is on the unique use of GA and GA nanofibrils as sole stabilizers for fabricating various multiphase food systems with many advanced qualities including simplicity, ultrastability, stimulability, structural viscoelasticity and processability. These natural saponin and saponin-based colloids are expected to be used as sustainable, plant-based ingredients for designing future foods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.
Highlights
Kamil WojciechowskiColloidal multiphase systems, such as emulsions and foams, are widely used in many fields, ranging from the formulations of food, personal care, cosmetic, detergent and pharmaceutical products to functional applications such as bioactive encapsulation and release, enhanced oil recovery or flotation [1,2,3,4]
Recent studies reported that another natural food-grade saponin glycyrrhizic acid (GA) can form novel saponin nanofibrils through a unique fibrillar selfassembly behavior in aqueous solutions, and these assembled GA nanofibrils can be used as a sole building block to fabricate stable emulsions, foams and even complex emulsion foams [33,34,35,36]
Saponin molecules have a typical amphiphilic structure consisting of a hydrophobic triterpenoid or steroid backbone and one or more hydrophilic oligosaccharides, which are attached to the aglycone via glycoside bonds [15,58]
Summary
Colloidal multiphase systems, such as emulsions and foams, are widely used in many fields, ranging from the formulations of food, personal care, cosmetic, detergent and pharmaceutical products to functional applications such as bioactive encapsulation and release, enhanced oil recovery or flotation [1,2,3,4]. Recent studies reported that another natural food-grade saponin glycyrrhizic acid (GA) can form novel saponin nanofibrils through a unique fibrillar selfassembly behavior in aqueous solutions, and these assembled GA nanofibrils can be used as a sole building block to fabricate stable emulsions, foams and even complex emulsion foams [33,34,35,36]. These recent literatures well demonstrate the rich self-assembly and interfacial properties of natural saponins and their promising applications in various multiphase food systems. We expect the natural saponin and saponin-based colloids can be used as sustainable, plant-based ingredients for designing future foods, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals
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