IB Catalyst proposal: Industrial Saponins

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The aim of this project is to bring saponin production into the domain of industrial biotechnology to make this diverse groupof biosurfactants available for commercial exploitation at the required scale, structure specificity & cost, in the first instancefor home & personal care (HPC) use. We have already demonstrated that saponins can synergise with conventionalsurfactants to reduce the total surfactant level required for cleaning performance in laundry detergents, and that suchmixtures are particularly effective at low temperatures. Saponins are plant-derived triterpenoidal or steroidal surfactants.Saponins currently have limited commercial availability, being sourced from natural plant materials. This supply is deficientin scale, is of limited structure specificity and is too expensive for Unilever's intended use in laundry detergents. Unilever'sconcentrated detergents business alone would require 100 tonnes pa of saponin at 0.1% level and 20% product rangepenetration. Leading saponin supplier Desert King produces only 20 tonnes active saponin pa from natural extracts.Furthermore, we have demonstrated that certain saponin structures are significantly more effective than others. The currentsources of saponins are natural extracts and comprise a heterogeneous mixture of saponin structures. Our IB innovationwill enable considerable enrichment for the most effective saponin structures. Current commercial saponins are tooexpensive at $35/kg for crude extracts for use in anything other than premium products. We expect IB to be a more costeffective route to saponin supply.