The co-generation of value added products is vital for the integration of biobased products into the current economy. One such product, saponins, can be found in the bark of Albizia julibrissin (mimosa). Saponins are a natural detergent and are be found in a variety of plants, ranging from the Yucca schildigera plant in Mexico to the Quilaja saponaria plant in Chile. The major types of saponins found in plants have either a steroid nucleus, found in the Yucca plant, or a triterpenoid structure as in the Quilaja. Saponins contain both a water-soluble and a fat-soluble component. Some saponins have been shown to have antiprotozal activity in ruminals and to have been able to reduce blood cholesterol levels in mammals. Triterpenoidal saponins, julibrosides, are known to be present in Albizia julibrissin [1], and have previously been extracted using organic solvents, separated by RP-HPLC and analyzed with mass spectrometry. Unfortunately, the julibrosides are not available commercially as reference compounds. Hence, the first objective of this research project is to extract the saponins from mimosa bark in order to secure reference material. The next objective is to explore the use of centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) to separate and purify the extracted saponins. The overall goal of this project is to determine the feasibility of extracting saponins from mimosa biomass prior to energy conversion.

[1] Zou, K., Tong, W., Linag, H., Cui, J., Tu, G., Zhao, Y., Zhang, R., Diasteriomeric saponins from Albizia julibrissin. Carbohydrate Research. 2005, 340, 1329-1334