The Use of Leaves from Young Trees of Quillaja saponaria (Molina) Plantations as a New Source of Saponins. Quillaja saponaria is an endemic tree in Chile. It has been extensively exploited for the extraction of saponins, which are used in mining, agriculture, and in the pharmaceutical and food industries. The overexploitation of native adult Quillaja forests has necessitated the establishment of plantations. Until now, biomass had been obtained from wood and bark of native adult trees, excluding the use of leaves due to their low biomass contribution to the whole tree, and also because industrial production lines have been designed for wood and bark and not for leaves that contain different compounds (e.g., chlorophyll). In this study, we propose using complete trees from young plantations, including the leaves. Quantification of saponins in the leaves of 24 three–year–old Quillaja trees from a plantation was carried out during the four seasons of one year. Our results showed that leaves represent 27.8% of the weight of the whole young trees and that leaves contain on average 2.58% of saponins. Considering that this amount is similar to that found in wood, we argue that leaves could contribute up to one–third of the saponins of young trees, making its processing key to attain good yields. Significant differences were observed in saponin contents during the four seasons. On average, the lowest concentration was found during winter (July = 1.39% dry weight) and the highest in autumn (April = 4.49%), suggesting that abiotic factors may have an affect on saponin production. A comparison among the 24 trees showed significant differences in saponin concentration (0.90% to 4.71%), supporting the need to select consistently superior saponin–producing trees. These results contribute to the understanding of a more sustainable production of Quillaja extracts, showing a potential to use whole young trees from plantations rather than only the wood and bark from native Quillaja forests.
Hojas de árboles jóvenes de Quillaja saponaria (Molina) de plantaciones, como nueva fuente de saponinas. El árbol Quillaja saponaria, endémico de Chile, ha sido ampliamente explotado para la extracción de saponinas, las cuales son utilizadas en la minería, la agricultura y diversas industrias como la farmacéutica y la de alimentación. La sobreexplotación de los bosques nativos ha planteado la necesidad de establecer plantaciones. Hasta la fecha, la biomasa se ha obtenido de la madera y corteza de árboles adultos nativos, excluyendo el uso de las hojas debido a su baja contribución (respecto del árbol total) y también porque las líneas de producción industrial han sido diseñadas específicamente para madera y corteza, no para las hojas que contienen diferentes compuestos, como la clorofila. En este estudio, se propone el uso de árboles completos de plantaciones jóvenes, incluyendo las hojas. Se realizaron cuantificaciones de saponinas en hojas de 24 árboles de una plantación de tres años de edad durante las cuatro estaciones de un año. Nuestros resultados mostraron que las hojas representan el 27,8% del peso total de árboles jóvenes y que contienen en promedio 2,58% de saponinas. Teniendo en cuenta que esa cantidad de saponinas es similar a la encontrada en madera, las hojas podrían contribuir hasta en un tercio de las saponinas de los árboles jóvenes, siendo clave el procesamiento de estas para alcanzar buenos rendimientos. Se observaron diferencias significativas en el contenido de saponinas durante las cuatro estaciones. En promedio, la concentración más baja se encontró durante el invierno (julio = 1,39% respecto a materia prima seca) y la mayor en otoño (abril = 4,49% respecto a materia prima seca), lo que sugiere que los factores abióticos podrían tener un efecto sobre la producción de saponinas. Además, se observaron diferencias significativas en cuanto a las concentraciones de saponinas entre los 24 árboles (0,90 a 4,71%), lo que plantea la necesidad de seleccionar árboles superiores en producción de saponinas. Estos resultados contribuyen a la comprensión de una forma de producción más sostenible de extractos de Quillaja, al mostrar el potencial de utilizar plantaciones de árboles jóvenes, incluyendo sus hojas, en lugar de sólo la madera y corteza ambos provenientes de bosques nativos.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Mr. Hugo Vera and Mr. Patricio Guzmán from Las Palmas Quillaja farm for their constant support and collaboration during the sampling of the trees and their innovation in starting the first industrial Quillaja domestication. Also, the authors are grateful to Dr. Leandro Padilla of Natural Response S.A. for facilitating the saponin standard, UHPLC analysis, and his kind comments and revision of the manuscript. This research was supported by two grants: FIA PYT–2013–0028 from the Ministry of Agriculture and PAI 781301001 from the Ministry of Education, both from the Chilean Government.
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Submitted 23 February 2015; Accepted 22 August 2015.
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Schlotterbeck, T., Castillo–Ruiz, M., Cañon–Jones, H. et al. The Use of Leaves from Young Trees of Quillaja saponaria (Molina) Plantations as a New Source of Saponins. Econ Bot 69, 262–272 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-015-9320-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12231-015-9320-0