Saponin - What is it? What can it do in the industry? Kell Andersen Project Manager, Ph.D. Agro Business Park A/S kan@agropark.dk
Presentation outline Introduction to Saponin o What is saponin, origin and function o Availability of saponin Industrial applications and the market Perspective
Where are Saponins found and what is the biological role Saponins are glycosides, reported in >100 families of plants Sapo is the Latin word for soap (or soap-like) Many types/structures, common is an amphiphilic structure (soap-like) Saponins are active components in many traditional/herbal/folk medicines Biological role; Plant defense against disease and herbivores Clear structure-function/activity relationship Content and type/structure is determined and influenced by o Species, Genetics, Plant part, Stage of development o Environmental and agronomic factors associated with growth of the plant o Post-harvest treatments such as storage and processing (chemical stability) Most plants contain saponin, however modern cereals may have reduced or completely lost ability to synthesize saponin due to selection* Sugar moiety Glycone Water-loving Sterodial/triterpenoid moiety Aglycone Oil-loving *Figen Mert-Turk, 2005
Saponin content of selected plants Güçlü-Ustündağ & Mazza, 2007
Where are Saponins found and what is the biological role Saponins are often unwanted in food because of their bitter taste and sometimes irritating properties Saponin rich bran is often removed by processing (e.g. water rinsing) Glycyrrhizin (saponin from liquorice root) is used as flavoring agent in food items and vitamin or mineral supplements and to some extent in the pharmaceutical and beverage industries today Biological roles/activities and industrial applications have been investigated to a large extent Glycyrrhizin
Biological activity of saponin + many more Güçlü-Ustündağ & Mazza, 2007
Biological activities of saponin Many indications that saponin can have beneficial effects on human and animal health Saponin from Yucca schidigera* and Quillaja saponaria** are generally recognized as safe (GRAS), approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Accepted as safe food, feedstuff and cosmetic ingredient. However, many studies are conducted with unrefined and undefined saponin. Need for more studies/test/demonstrations *Yucca schidigera, also known as the Mojave yucca or Spanish dagger **Quillaja saponaria, the soap bark tree
Mapping the Saponin potential Quinoa production in Bolivia in 2020: Quinoa production in Peru in 2020: 120.000 tons 130.000 tons Bran from processing: ~4% Saponin content in quinoa bran: ~10% Quantity of quinoa saponin in 2020 ~1000 tons* Bran: The hard outer layers of the seed rich in bitter-tasting saponins *Mapped in this project, Borregaard in collaboration with Partnership Technologies SRL
Potential applications of saponin in the industry? Sector/application Pharmaceuticals Cosmetics/personal care Food technology Household products Detergents Paint Example Stabilization and transport/delivery of peptides/proteins/bioactive compounds Natural emulsions, bioactivity?, improved transport of bioactive compounds (vitamins, aa ect.) across epidermis/skin Natural emulsions and gels, improve beer foam stability, possible natural preservative, antioxidant Surface cleaning, synergy with enzymes and probiotics Washing performance, synergy with enzymes Improved chemical mixing, preservative Powerful Kitchen and Bath cleaner concentrate!
Illustrations of potential applications? Stabilization of Pharmaceuticals Surface/fabric cleaning Synergy with enzymes + Normalized Activity in % 1000 800 600 400 200 Savinase ph7 SDS (Bio-based) (Synthetic) C16-C18 MES (Synthetic) (Bio-based) Rhamnolipid (Biosurfactant) 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 [surfactant] (mm) Andersen, Vinum, Madsen and Otzen, unpublished
Is there room for saponin on the market? Example: surfactants Volume : 24 million tons by 2020* Value : 42 Billion USD by 2020* Marked growth 2015-2020: 5.3%, by volume, and 5.5%, by value* The market is largely driven by applications such as the soaps/detergents, personal care, and industrial and institutional cleaners industries Price Synthetic surfactants ~ 2 /kg Biosurfactants (e.g. microbial) ~ 2-5 /kg Biosurfactants are more expensive, though gap narrowing Price is influenced by purity grade and application and more *Marketsandmarkets, june 2015
Is there a demand for green alternatives? Procter & Gamble are looking for renewable chemical firms that can steadily supply them with cost-effective plant-based surfactant raw materials that are comparable with, if not better than, traditional surfactants. Long-Term Environmental Vision and 2020 goals: Using 100% renewable or recycled materials for all products and packaging http://www.pg.com/en_us/sustainability/performance/index.shtml
Perspective/concluding remarks The market and demand for green alternatives is growing Industry is looking for completely biological and/or biobased alternatives to unsustainable and synthetic products. Possible to substitute synthetic surfactants with natural saponin in a range of classical areas such as: detergents, cosmetics, food ingredients, pharma ect. The unique biological role / activities / functionalities / properties may be utilized in other applications: livestock dietary additive (improving animal health), crop protectant Sale price uncertainty. This will be influenced by factors such as, production cost, purity, functional properties, stability and more. Price of saponin products range from 2 to 1000 /kg If all quinoa saponin form Bolivia and Peru (together 1000 tons) is used within the classical surfactant sector it can only substitute a small fraction of the entire surfactant need (24 mio. tons in 2020) Technology/methods for refining of saponin from quinoa bran, may be applied to purify/extract saponin from other plants
Thank you for the attention Glucosides and sugar esters Mainly natural Late 1900s Glycosides, plant extracts Completely natural First use probably Pre-histort Ethylene oxide, propylene oxide copolymer Completely synthetic Early 1950s Surfactant history Soaps Slightly synthetic About 2000 BC Sulponated petroleum Hydrocarbons Highly synthetic Early 1900s Sulphated plant oil More synthetic 1830s Adapted from Hargreves, 2003