Separation of total saponins from the pericarp of Sapindus mukorossi Gaerten. by foam fractionation

Abstract

Sapindus mukorossi Gaerten., as a rich source of saponins, is an important agricultural economic tree in tropical and subtropical regions. Its fruit pericarp has a high content of triterpenoid saponins of high surface activity and important biological activities. Thus the current work adopted a two-stage foam fractionation technology to separate the saponins from the pericarp. A spiral internal component and elevated temperature were utilized to improve enrichment ratio. Using this technology, the enrichment ratio of the sapindus saponins reached 133.4 with a recovery of over 36.4% and the separated saponins had a high purity of 90.3%. The product was analyzed by FTIR and HPLC–MS to determine its ingredients, including plentiful triterpenoid saponins and bits of sesquiterpene glucosides. The subsequent bioactivity analysis made sure that the product had moderate but long-term antimicrobial activity. Therefore the current work had industrial implication in producing high-purity saponins for food, cosmetics and even pharmaceutical fields.