DISTRIBUTION OF SAPONIN IN ALFALFA PROTEIN RECOVERY-SYSTEMS

Saponin tended to be concentrated in the protein fractions at levels higher than in the original alfalfa during the preparation of white and green alfalfa leaf protein fractions. Coagulation of the protein at pH 6.0 and washing at pH 4.5 gave as much as a fourfold increase in saponin over that in the protein coagulated and washed at pH 8.5. The press cakes from high and low saponin alfalfa, following dejuicing, retained 65 and 87% of the saponin, respectively. The green protein contained most of the extracted saponin. Preparation of protein fractions from a low saponin cultivar resulted in saponin levels of less than 0.07%, compared to a saponin content of 1.33% in the protein prepared from a high saponin alfalfa cultivar. Six common vegetable food products were found to contain levels of saponin (0.02 to 0.07 %) similar to that found in the white leaf protein fraction. © 1979, American Chemical Society. All rights reserved.