Saponin
4-18-00-01515 (Beilstein Handbook Reference) · BRN 0078682 · MAEBCGDGGATMSC-OSHGGGOQSA-N · Saponin · Saponin from Gypsophila oldhamiana · Steroid SaponinsListed as a foaming agent by Canada.
Listed as foaming and whipping agents (CA)
- Canada: Foaming agent — Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Purposes of Use (List 8)
Saponins are plant glycosides that foam in water, which is what they are used for — the head on a drink. Quillaia extract, the best-known source, has its own page; Health Canada also lists saponin itself.
Where it is and isn’t permitted
| Jurisdiction | Status | Scope and limits | Citation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia and New Zealand | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Canada | Permitted | no numerical limit (good manufacturing practice) In: Beverage bases; Beverage mixes; Soft drinks. Purpose: Foaming agent. Limit: Good Manufacturing Practice. | Health Canada, List of Permitted Food Additives with Other Purposes of Use (List 8), item S.1retrieved 2026-10-17 |
| European Union | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Great Britain | No listed food uses foundThis site has not matched this substance to any food use on this jurisdiction’s list of authorised food additives. A food additive may be used only in foods that list names. Flavourings, enzymes, processing aids and added nutrients are regulated separately and do not appear on it. | ||
| Japan | No listing matchedThis site imports only Japan’s list of designated additives (Appended Table 1 to the Regulations for Enforcement of the Food Sanitation Act), matched by English name. Existing additives, natural flavouring agents and ordinary foods used as additives are permitted outside that list and are not imported, so an empty row does not show that Japan does not permit the substance. | ||
| South Korea | No listing matchedThis site imports Part III of South Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Food Additives, matched by CAS number, then INS number, then exact name. Mixed preparations and sanitisers are not imported, and an entry whose identifiers disagreed with a page’s is held for review, so an empty row does not show that South Korea does not permit the substance. | ||
| United States | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. | ||
| Codex Alimentarius | Not listedDoes not appear on this jurisdiction’s permitted list. That is not the same as being prohibited. |
How much is permitted
A listing usually limits the quantity as well as the food. Only one of the forms that takes is a figure: quantum satis and good manufacturing practice permit the amount the technological effect requires and no more, which is a limit rather than the absence of one. Figures below are the range across every food category this page is listed in, and categories differ between regulators — see how much is permitted.
| Canada | — | 1 GMP |
|---|
No regulator sets a figure for Saponin. That is not an absence of control: where the listing says quantum satis or good manufacturing practice, the quantity is limited to what the effect requires.
What it is made from
Extracted from plants that are rich in them, such as the soapbark tree and Yucca species.
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
Compare other additives on the dietary indexes.
- InChIKey
- MAEBCGDGGATMSC-OSHGGGOQSA-N
- PubChem
- CID 198016
Every name it appears under
6 recorded names. A label may use any of them.
Other names
- 4-18-00-01515 (Beilstein Handbook Reference)
- BRN 0078682
- MAEBCGDGGATMSC-OSHGGGOQSA-N
- Saponin
- Saponin from Gypsophila oldhamiana
- Steroid Saponins
Hazard reference values
No reference value for this substance in the sources we hold.
Evidence and how bodies read it
Studies, and the differing conclusions regulators drew from them, are curated rather than machine-read, and none has been written for this substance yet.
Common questions
Assembled from what is above, in the words the questions are usually asked in. Each answer is the same statement the relevant section makes, with the same citations behind it.
- What is Saponin?
- Saponins are plant glycosides that foam in water, which is what they are used for — the head on a drink. Quillaia extract, the best-known source, has its own page; Health Canada also lists saponin itself.
- What is Saponin used for in food?
- It is listed as a foaming agent — the role Canada assigns it. This page shows every function each regulator records, with the citation for each.
- Where is Saponin permitted?
- Of the seven regulators this site reads, Canada permits it. Each permission is for named foods at named levels, not a blanket one; the table on this page gives them with citations.
- Is Saponin vegan?
- Yes. Saponin is not derived from animals, and is suitable for vegetarians. This page says what it is made from and how.
Sources for this page
- ca retrieved 2026-10-17
Full licence terms and publisher details on Sources. How this page is built and updated: Method.
Machine-readable: a JSON record of this additive is given on request —how to ask for access.
Follow changes to Saponin:Atom feed — regulatory events, and any change the weekly refresh detects in its provisions.