Effect of Enzymes on the Yield of Steroidal Sapogenin From the Epicarp and Mesocarp Ofbalanites Aegyptiacafruit

The epicarp and mesocarp of the fruit of Balanites aegyptiaca yields by acid hydrolysis alone about 1 % of sapogenin, on a dry weight basis, made up of diosgenin and its epimer yamogenin. A 44 % increase in the yield of these sapogenins can be obtained by incubation of the plant material prior to acid hydrolysis. From studies involving methanol extraction and incubation with exogenous enzymes, the bound forms of the sapogenin have been classified into: (I) acid releaseable (55 %) (II) endogenous enzyme releasable (25 %) and (III) cell wall associated sapogenin, releasable by exogenous cellulase and pectinase but not by the endogenous enzymes (20 %). The release of sapogenin from types (II) and (III) accounts for the increase in yield obtained on incubation. 14 C–labelled acetate and mevalonate used during incubation did not give labelled sapogenin.