Polymer-supported saponins: an approach to cholesterol removal from butteroil

Digitonin and tomatine were bonded to functionalized Merrifield resin (2% divinylbenzene) at an average 0.14 mmol of saponin/g of polymer via acetal or ester linkages by condensation to aldehydic, carboxypropene, or mixed anhydride functionalized polymers. These polymer-supported saponins removed cholesterol from simple hexane solutions of the sterol or butteroil but somewhat less efficiently than polymer saponins derived from carboxy or carboxymethyl polymers. The polymers were regenerated by benzene extraction to the original cholesterol binding capacity. More importantly, acetone and ethyl acetate are equivalent to benzene as solvents for cholesterol removal