Asparagus saponins: effective natural beneficial ingredient in functional foods, from preparation to applications

AbstractAsparagus species is recognized as a perennial herb with several valuable functional ingredients, and has been widely used as medicine and food since ancient times. Among its main chemical constituents, saponins play a vital role in the health benefits and biological activities including anti-cancer, antioxidant, immunomodulatory, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, and hypoglycemic. This review summarizes the preparation methods, structure and classification, biological functions, as well as the food and non-food applications of asparagus saponins, with a special emphasis on its anti-cancer effects in vitro and in vivo. Further, the main challenges and limitations of the current research trends in asparagus saponins are highlighted after a detailed analysis of the recent research information. This review bridges the gap between bioactive components and human health and aids current research on functional and health-promoting foods and medicinal application of Asparagus saponins.Keywords: Saponinasparagusextractionhealth benefitsanticancerapplications Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Additional informationFundingThis work was supported by the National Key Research & Development Program of China (2022YFF1100300), the Natural Science Foundation of Ningxia province (2022AAC03230 and 2022AAC03262), the Major Projects of Science and Technology in Anhui Province (202203a06020009), and the State Scholarship Fund of China (202006690049).