Abstract

AHUMADA, Andrés; ORTEGA, Andrés; CHITO, Diana  and  BENITEZ, Ricardo. Saponins of Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.): a by-product with high biological potential. Rev. colomb. cienc. quim. farm. [online]. 2016, vol.45, n.3, pp.438-469. ISSN 0034-7418.  https://doi.org/10.15446/rcciquifa.v45n3.62043.

Saponins are a type of secondary metabolite that have been widely studied due to their recognized biological properties. Most research into phytochemical has focused on finding new natural sources of saponins with medicinal interest. Quinoa ( Chenopodium quinoa) is a plant that has attained importance as a valuable source of food highly nutritious and rich in triterpenes saponins which are mainly in the outer husks of the seeds. Up to date, about 30 saponins derived from hederagenin, oleanolic acid, phytolaccagenic acid, and serjanic acid have been identified in the plant. Quinoa consumption involves removal of the husk to reduce its bitter taste, the ingestion of residual levels of saponins and obtaining a product rich in saponins. This revision, initially, offers a general contextualization of saponins, then, gathers the structural features of identified saponins in quinoa, describes the effect of the processing of the grain on its saponins content, and finally, exposes the biological properties explored with quinoa saponins extracts which might be considered as a starting point for future investigations aimed at strengthening of their use in the pharmaceutical and/or nutraceutical field.

Keywords : Saponins; Chenopodium quinoa; biological activity; triterpene glycosides.

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