Saponins yucca

Holtshausen, L., Chaves, A. V., Beauchemin, K. A., McGinn, S. M., McAllister, T. A., Odongo, N. E., Cheeke, P. R., and Benchaar, C. (2009). Feeding saponin-containing Yucca schidigera and Quillaja saponaria to decrease enteric methane production in dairy cows. /. Dairy Sci. 92, 2809-2821. 

Saponins for beverage use are sourced from quillaia bark (Quillaia saponaria Molina) and the yuccas. Of the latter species, two main varieties are used in the United States for production of the water extract the Mohave yucca (Yucca mohavensis) and the Joshua tree (Yucca brevifolia). At the levels used these additives are colourless and tasteless the dried extract, however, possesses an acrid, astringent taste. Permitted limits are quoted in terms of the dry weight of the extract. In the European Union, subject to Directive 95/2/EC, quillaia is permitted only in non-alcoholic drinks, to a maximum level of 200 mg/1. 

These are constituents that form foams when agitated in water-based solutions. They are thought to have antiinflammatory, hemolytic, and expectorant effects. Saponins are found in extracts of yucca, sarsaparilla, alfalfa, fenugreek, licorice, and ginseng. 

Piacente, S. Pizza, C. Oleszek, W., Saponins and phenolics of Yucca schidigera Roezl Chemistry and bioactivity, Phytochem. Rev., 2005, 4, 177-190. 

Miyakoshi M, Tamura Y, Masuda H, Mizutani K, Tanaka O, Ikeda T, Ohtani K, Kasai R, Yamasaki K (2000) Antiyeast Steroidal Saponins from Yucca schidigera (Mohave Yucca), A New Anti-Food-Deteriorating Agent. J Nat Prod 63 332... 

Krider MM, Branaman JR, Wall ME (1955) Steroidal sapogenins XVIII. Partial Hydrolysis of Steroidal Saponins of Yucca schidigera. J Amer Chem Soc 77 1238... 

Plock A, Beyer G, Hiller K, Griindemann E, Krause E, Nimtz M, Wray V (2001) Application of MS and NMR to the Structure Elucidation of Complex Sugar Moieties of Natural Products Exemplified by the Steroidal Saponin from Yucca filamentosa L. Phytochemistry 57 489... 

Oleszek W, Sitek M, Stochmal A, Piacente S, Pizza C, Cheeke P (2001) Steroidal Saponins of Yucca schidigera Roezl. J Agric Food Chem 49 4392... 

Fig. 4. Saponins from Mohave yucca and their antiyeast activity.

No significant adverse effects were observed in a clinical trial of yucca saponins in approximately 700 patients with arthritis (Bingham et al. 1975). 

Benchaar, C., T.A. McAllister, and P.Y. Chouinard. 2008. Digestion, ruminal fermentation, ciliate protozoal populations, and milk production from dairy cows fed cinnamaldehyde, quebracho condensed tannin, or Yucca schidigera saponin extracts. /. Dairy Sci. 91(12) 4765-4777. 

Bingham, R., B. A. Bellow, and J.G. Bellow. 1975. Yucca plant saponin in the management of arthritis. /. Appl. Nutr. 27 45-50. Cheeke, P.R., S. Piacente, and W. Oleszek. 2006. Anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic effects of Yucca schidigera A review. /. Inflamm. 3 6. 

No adverse effects were observed in cows (average animal weight 730 kg) orally administered 60 g of Mojave yucca extract (10% saponins) daily for 28 days (Benchaar et al. 2008). 

In lambs intraruminally administered 55 mg/kg Mojave yucca saponins for 11 days, no signs of toxicity were observed (Flaoyen et al. 2002). 

Flaoyen, A., A.L. Wilkins, and M. Sandvik. 2002. Ruminal metabolism in sheep of saponins from Yucca schidigera. Vet. Res. Commun. 26(2) 159-169. 

Skhirtladze A, Perrone A, Montoro P, Benidze M, Kemertelidze E, Pizza C et al (2011) Steroidal saponins from Yucca gloriosa L. rhizomes LC-MS profiling, isolation and quantitative determination. Phytochemistry 72 126-135... 

Sen S, Makkar HPS, Muetzel S, Becker K (1998) Effect of Quillaja saponaria saponins and Yucca schidigera plant extract on growth of Escherichia coli. Lett Appl Microbiol 27 35-38 Shahverdi AR, Rafii F, TavassoU F, Bagheri M, Attar F, Gahraman A (2004) Piperitone from Mentha longifolia var. chorodictya Rech F. reduces the nitrofurantoin resistance of strains of enterobacteriaceae. PhytotherRes 18 911-914... 

Fig. 11.3 Some saponins of Yucca schidigera bark (Cheeke et al. 2006 Oleszek et al. 2001)...

Different techniques or solvents used for saponin extraction may affect the purity of the extract. This was shown by different contents of sarsaponin in four commercial products of Yucca schidigera extract (Singer et al. 2008). Y. schidigera powder contained not only saponins but also phenolics (resveratrol, yuccaol) (Piacente et al. 2005), glycoprotein and stilbenes. These other compounds were present in non-butanol extractable fraction and exert several properties such as antiinflammatory, antioxidant (Cheeke et al. 2006), reducing air ammonia concentration and fecal odour (Piacente et al. 2005). Therefore, different results on the use of Yucca extract in the ruminant feed can be influenced by the presence of other compounds in the extract. 

Yucca schidigera whole plant powder (6% saponin)... 

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