Surface‐Active Properties of Solvent‐Extracted <i>Panax ginseng</i> Saponin‐Based Surfactants

Abstract

Abstract In this study, saponins were extracted from Panax ginseng root powder. The crude solvent‐extracted saponins containing triterpenoid glycosides and terpenes that were identified by TLC techniques. The critical micelle concentrations (CMC) of the saponins were determined by measuring the change in (a) the UV‐visible spectrum of iodine due to the micelle‐iodine complexation, (b) the absorption intensity of aqueous alpha‐lipoic acid due to the micellar solubilization of the drug, and (c) the surface tension due to the abrupt change in the air/liquid interface saturation by surfactants monomers. The development of new absorption peak due to the micelle‐iodine complexation, enhancement in the absorbance due to the micelle‐solubilized lipoic acid, and displacement of monomer‐micelle equilibrium to micelle formation in higher monomer concentration region are some of the physicochemical properties in which CMC could be determined. We found a CMC of 0.009% w/v.