What are Saponins? Here’s Where They can be Found and What Consequences They Have on the Body

In some foods that we consume daily there are substances called saponins, a name that derives from the Latin sapo (soap) with a clear reference to the foam generated by the substance in contact with water. Some experts in the food sector claim that these substances are harmful to the human body, even if it is a much debated issue: others, in fact, claim that in reality they don't do that much harm.

If their safety is not certain from a food point of view, what is certain is that saponins find great industrial use thanks to a series of properties that make them valuable in various fields. As regards for the food, since the issue is not clear, it is always better to eliminate saponins from foods that contain them with a very simple procedure.

What are Saponins and Where are They Found?

Saponins are particular substances of plant origin, specifically terpene glycosides of a glucose nature whose characteristic is a strong surfactant action. Chemically they are made up of the union of sugar residues (such as glucose, fructose, galactose, arabinose or others) and a non-sugar component called sapogenin. They are contained in hundreds of plants, constituting up to 30% of their dry weight, and serve to protect them from the attack of microorganisms, fungi or other predators due to their particularly bitter taste.

Among the many foods that contain saponins, commonly used foods such as quinoa, soy, oats, legumes (chickpeas, beans & co.), but also basil, garlic, spinach and wine stand out. This substance is easily identifiable in foods as it creates a whitish foam when food comes into contact with water.

Why can Saponins be Dangerous?

As already mentioned, saponins naturally have a repellent effect which can also have repercussions on our organism. There is a great debate regarding their possible harmfulness to humans: potentially, in fact, in large doses they could destroy the red blood cells present in our blood and also cause stomach pain, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and irritation of the oral mucosa.

Those who affirm their non-harmfulness, however, appeal to the fact that this side effect could only occur if the molecule remains intact, which is impossible given the saponins are already broken down through the digestive process, becoming harmless.

To avoid any risks, however, there are very simple systems to adopt to eliminate saponins from foods.

How to Clean Foods From Saponins

Completely eliminating saponins is impossible. What you can do, however, is drastically reduce their presence in the foods you want to use for cooking.

• The most effective method to do this is to use water: soak the food in cold water, leave it to rest for a couple of hours and change the water at least two or three times during these hours. After the last soak, rinse it well and at this point most of the saponins will have gone away.
• Even better if the food in question is cooked: cooking, in fact, eliminates almost every trace of saponins.

Saponins' Properties and Their Industrial Use

Beyond their presumed toxicity, saponins actually contain a series of interesting beneficial properties, including tonic, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and purifying. Furthermore, they are very useful for accelerating the absorption of certain substances and improving how the body uses them.

Precisely for these reasons, saponins are often used in controlled quantities by the cosmetic industries, in agriculture and in the pharmaceutical industry to make different types of drugs.