Diosgenin Production from Dioscorea Zingiberensis Saponins

Dioscorea zingiberensis, a perennial herb indigenous to parts of Asia, is valued for its steroidal saponins, predominantly dioscin, which serve as precursors for the semi-synthesis of the steroidal aglycone diosgenin. Diosgenin underpins the manufacture of contraceptives, corticosteroids and other pharmacologically active steroids. Traditional production relies on concentrated acid hydrolysis of crude saponin extracts, but this approach generates substantial acidic effluent and offers moderate yields. Recent efforts have focused on greener and more efficient strategies, including targeted enzymatic hydrolysis to cleave glycosidic bonds, microbial biotransformation under mild conditions and optimisation of fermentation media. These methods aim to enhance selectivity, reduce chemical waste and scale to industrial production. Advances in pretreatment of tuber material, integration of statistical design for process parameters and screening of biocatalysts have collectively improved diosgenin yields while minimising environmental impact, highlighting the global significance of sustainable steroid intermediate manufacture.

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Diosgenin Production from Dioscorea Zingiberensis Saponins publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in diosgenin production from dioscorea zingiberensis saponins across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Saponin: A class of glycosides in plants comprising a steroidal or triterpenoid aglycone linked to sugar moieties.

Dioscin: The principal steroidal saponin in D. zingiberensis, serving as the glycosylated precursor to diosgenin.

Diosgenin: A steroidal aglycone derived from saponins, used as a chemical intermediate for pharmaceutical steroid synthesis.

Biotransformation: The enzymatic conversion of one organic compound into another by living cells or their enzymes.

Enzymatic hydrolysis: Cleavage of chemical bonds by the addition of water using specific enzymes, often targeting glycosidic linkages.

Submerged fermentation: A bioprocess in which microorganisms grow and transform substrates in a liquid nutrient medium.

References

1. Evaluation of different pretreatments on microbial transformation of saponins in Dioscorea zingiberensis for diosgenin production. Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment (2014).
2. Screening and identification of probiotic Lactobacillus for the production of diosgenin from Dioscorea zingiberensis Wright by biotransformation. Biotechnology & Biotechnological Equipment (2017).
3. Screening and Selection of a New Medium for Diosgenin Production via Microbial Biocatalysis of Fusarium sp.. Pharmaceuticals (2021).