Chemicals from Agave sisalana biomass: isolation and identification

Int J Mol Sci. 2015 Apr 20;16(4):8761-71. doi: 10.3390/ijms16048761.

Abstract

Agave sisalana (sisal) is known worldwide as a source of hard fibers, and Brazil is the largest producer of sisal. Nonetheless, the process of removing the fibers of the sisal leaf generates 95% waste. In this study, we applied chemical sequential steps (hydrothermal extraction, precipitation, liquid-liquid extraction, crystallization, SiO2 and Sephadex LH 20 column chromatography) to obtain pectin, mannitol, succinic acid, kaempferol and a mixture of saponins as raw chemicals from sisal biomass. The structural identification of these compounds was performed though spectrometric methods, such as Infrared (IR), Ultraviolet (UV), Mass spectrometry (MS) and Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). All the sisal chemicals found in this work are used by both the chemical and pharmaceutical industries as excipients or active principles in products.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Agave / chemistry*
  • Biomass
  • Chemical Precipitation
  • Chromatography, Gel
  • Crystallization
  • Kaempferols / chemistry
  • Kaempferols / isolation & purification
  • Liquid-Liquid Extraction
  • Mannitol / chemistry
  • Mannitol / isolation & purification
  • Pectins / chemistry
  • Pectins / isolation & purification
  • Plant Extracts / chemistry
  • Plant Extracts / isolation & purification*
  • Plant Leaves / chemistry*
  • Saponins / chemistry
  • Saponins / isolation & purification
  • Succinic Acid / chemistry
  • Succinic Acid / isolation & purification

Substances

  • Kaempferols
  • Plant Extracts
  • Saponins
  • Mannitol
  • kaempferol
  • Pectins
  • Succinic Acid