Valorisation de la saponine

To maximize the value of compounds present in alfalfa (Medicago sativa, family Fabaceae), the Quebec company Virentia has developed a fractionation and valorization innovative industrial platform that allows use of the entire plant while preserving the intrinsic qualities of the desired fractions. This unique platform offers an economically profitable exploitation and valorization model, able to meet the current growing market demand for biosourced high added value products.
Resulting from one of the many operations that make up this sequential fractionation process, one of the four commercially valuable fractions contains high concentrations of saponins: complex heteroses molecules belonging to the cyclic terpenes naturally generated by certain plants. This group of molecules has raised a certain interest in the academic and scientific sector because they have displayed biocidal and repulsive characteristics able to counter various harmful insects, phytoparasites and pathogenic microorganisms. However, the bioinsecticide properties of these molecules have so far not been exploited for large-scale use because of the lack of an efficient, cost-effective extraction process fully adapted to industrial reality.
Based on its patent pending industrial fractionation process and following preliminary tests conducted using the potato beetle, Virentia in collaboration with Premier Tech, a Québec company that commercializes products based on natural active ingredients in the gardening, horticulture and agriculture sectors, want to confirm the bioinsecticide properties of the saponin fraction and validate its commercial potential.
To accomplish those objectives, Dr. Jacques Brodeur, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the Université de Montréal, is proposing a collaborative research project with both companies Virentia and Premier Tech, in collaboration with the Center for research and transfer of biotechnology TransBiotech and the support of the subcontractor Laboratoires Campeau. The project seeks to characterize the high saponin fraction, quantify its bioinsecticide potential against various insect pest groups, and explore the possibilities of developing formulations that could optimize their performance and facilitate their use by industrial customers.