Quillaia is the milled inner

bark Bark may refer to: * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Places * Bark, Germany * Bark, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, Poland Arts, ...

or small stems and branches of the

soapbark ''Quillaja saponaria'', the soap bark tree or soapbark, is an evergreen tree in the family Quillajaceae, native to warm temperate central Chile. In Chile it occurs from 32 to 40° South Latitude approximately and at up to 2000 m (6500&nbs ...

( ''Quillaja saponaria'', Molina). Other names include ''Murillo bark extract'', ''Panama bark extract'', ''Quillaia extract'', ''Quillay bark extract'', and ''Soapbark extract''. Quillaia contains high concentrations of

saponin Saponins (Latin "sapon", soap + "-in", one of), also selectively referred to as triterpene glycosides, are bitter-tasting usually toxic plant-derived organic chemicals that have a foamy quality when agitated in water. They are widely distributed ...

s that can be increased further by processing. Highly purified saponins from quillaia are used as adjuvants to enhance the effectiveness of vaccines. Other compounds in the crude extract include tannins and other polyphenols, and

calcium oxalate Calcium oxalate (in archaic terminology, oxalate of lime) is a calcium salt of oxalic acid with the chemical formula . It forms hydrates , where ''n'' varies from 1 to 3. Anhydrous and all hydrated forms are colorless or white. The monohydrate ...

.EFSA Panel on Food Additives and Flavourings (FAF) et al
Re-evaluation of Quillaia extract (E 999) as a food additive and safety of the proposed extension of use.
EFSA Journal. 06 March 2019. Quillaia is used in the manufacture of food additives, and it is listed as an ingredient in root beer and cream soda. The extract also is used as a

humectant A humectant is a hygroscopic (water-absorbing) substance used to keep things moist. They are used in many products, including food, cosmetics, medicines and pesticides. When used as a food additive, a humectant has the effect of keeping moisture ...

in baked goods, frozen dairy products, and puddings and as a foaming agent in

soft drink A soft drink (see § Terminology for other names) is a drink that usually contains water (often carbonated), a sweetener, and a natural and/or artificial flavoring. The sweetener may be a sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, fruit juice, a su ...

s. It is used in agriculture for some "natural" spray adjuvant formulations.Biopesticides Registration Action Document
Saponins of Quillaja Saponaria
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 11 September 2009.

Saponin adjuvants

The saponins from ''

Quillaja saponaria ''Quillaja saponaria'', the soap bark tree or soapbark, is an evergreen tree in the family Quillajaceae, native to warm temperate central Chile. In Chile it occurs from 32 to 40° South Latitude approximately and at up to 2000 m (6500&nb ...

'' are used in several approved veterinary vaccines (e.g.,

foot-and-mouth disease Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) or hoof-and-mouth disease (HMD) is an infectious and sometimes fatal viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including domestic and wild bovids. The virus causes a high fever lasting two to six days, followe ...

vaccines). Initially a crude preparation was used, but more recently purified products have been developed. Two of these (''Quil A'' and ''Matrix-M'') have been shown to be more effective and cause less local

irritation Irritation, in biology and physiology, is a state of inflammation or painful reaction to allergy or cell-lining damage. A stimulus or agent which induces the state of irritation is an irritant. Irritants are typically thought of as chemical age ...

. Sarah Jane Tribble and Rachana Pradhan
Novavax’s Effort to Vaccinate the World, From Zero to Not Quite Warp Speed
Kaiser Health News, Kaiser Family Foundation, July 19, 2021. ''Quil A'' is still a mixture of more than 25 different saponin molecules. One of them, the saponin QS21, has been investigated for as an adjuvant for human vaccines. Novavax uses a highly purified quillaja extract as an adjuvant in its veterinary and human vaccines. The adjuvant, ''Matrix-M'', is made at facilities in Sweden and Denmark.

References

External links

WHO report
Food additives E-number additives {{Ingredient-stub