Hydrolyzer/neutralizer processes, direct

A pilot plant in India has been established to extract fiber, pulp, and juice from the leaves of sisal plants. The fiber is sold directly or used to manufacture rope, the cmshed pulp is used in paper processing, and the juice is an excellent source of hecogenin. During a three- to five-day fermentation of the juice, partial enzymatic hydrolysis causes hecogenin to precipitate as the hemisaponin in the form of a fine sludge. This sediment is hydrolyzed with aqueous hydrochloric acid, neutralized, and filtered. This filter cake is washed with water and extracted with alcohol. The yield of hecogenin varies between 0.05 and 0.1% by the weight of the leaf (126). 

---