Food saponin content

Fenwick, D.E. and Oakenfull, D.G. 1981. Saponin content of soya beans and some commercial soya bean products. J. Sci. Food Agric. 32, 273-278. 

In recent years, there has been interest in quinoa (Chenopodium quinod) as an alternative food crop, in part because of its ability to grow in marginal conditions. Although widely used by the Incas, quinoa requires extensive post-harvest preparation in order to remove undesirable taste characteristics. Some of these characteristics have been removed by the development of sweet quinoa, which has significantly decreased levels of saponins and, thus, a decreased need for extensive post-harvest preparation. It seems likely that saponins will contribute to the undesirable taste characteristics of soyfood products, and reducing the saponin content of soybeans will result in better flavored food products derived from soybean. We show a method in which soybeans can be modified to produce reduced levels of both A saponin and DDMP-saponins when compared to wild-type soybeans. 

In the course of our study on saponin in leaf protein concentrates we had occasion to examine a number of common vegetable food products regarding their saponin contents. We were impressed by the very high saponin contents of commercially grown alfalfa sprouts found in the market place and accordingly have made further study on possible methods to minimize the saponin in alfalfa... 

The saponin contents of a number of vegetable food products are presented in table 5. Most of the food products contained levels of saponin similar to that in the white LPC. However, the commercial sample of alfalfa sprouts contained a level of saponin far exceeding any of the food products or any of high saponin alfalfa meal samples analyzed at the laboratory. This apparant high saponin content of the alfalfa sprouts may be due in part to the shortened carbohydrate side chain attached to the medicagenic acid aglycone. The alfalfa sprouts bearing a resemblance to alfalfa roots in this respect. Further studies will be needed to confirm this possibility. 

Table 5. SAPONIN CONTENT OF PLANT AND WHITE LPCa A. L. LIVINGSTON ET AL, FOOD PRODUCTS... 

Tsukamoto C, Shimada S, Igita K, Kudou S, Kokubun M, Okubo K, Kitamura K. 1995. Factors affecting isoflavone content in soybean seeds Changes in isoflavones, saponins, and composition of fatty acids at different temperatures during seed development. J Agric Food Chem 43 1184-1192. 

Saponins are present in many pasture plants (Bondi et al., 1973). Appreciable quantities accumulate in some, especially in certain forage legumes. These compounds are probably involved in the condition known as ruminant bloat. By altering the surface tension of the ruminal contents, saponins cause gas formed in the rumen by anaerobic bacterial fermentation to be entrapped as a froth. When fed to cattle, saponins elicit characteristic symptoms of bloat. In mono-gastric animals, saponins are responsible for reduced growth rate and decrease in food consumption. Poultry are particularly sensitive to alfalfa that contains saponins. Swine are less sensitive (Applebaum and Birk, 1979). 

Abdel-Kader MS, Bahler BD, Malone S et al (2000) Bioactive saponins from Swartzia schomburgkii from the Suriname rainforest. J Nat Prod 63 1461-1464 Aheme SA, O Brien NM (2002) Dietary flavonoids chemistry, food content, and metabolism. Nutrition 18 75-81... 

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