DISTRIBUTIONS OF SAPONIN CONSTITUENTS IN SOME VARIETIES OF SOYBEAN PLANT

Saponins are bioactive substances with physiological activities and bitter taste. We investigated the distributions of saponins in soybean plants. Acetyl-soyasaponins Al and A4 occur only in seed hypocotyls of soybean plants. Soyasaponin I was detected in all organs of the plant. However, soyasaponin I levels in plant showed very heterogenous distributions, for example, stem and main root had very low soyasaponin I levels, but nodule and leaf had higher levels. © 1990 by the Japan Society for Bioscience, Biotechnology, and Agrochemistry. All rights reserved.