Patent ID: 7638643

Claim:
A process for producing a soybean saponin-containing material which comprises the steps of: extracting raw soybean hypocotyls, without pre-treatment thereof, with a water-containing polar solvent having a water content of 20 to 85% by volume at 10 to 72° C. by multi-stage extraction to prepare a water-containing polar organic solvent extract satisfying the following conditions (a) and (b): (a) a content of malonyl isoflavone glycoside being 25% by weight or more based on the total amount of isoflavones in said extract, and (b) an extraction ratio of soybean saponins from said raw soybean hypocotyls being 60% by weight or more; purifying the water-containing polar organic solvent extract only by treatment with an adsorbent; eluting a soybean isoflavone-containing fraction with a water-containing polar solvent having a water content of 65 to 90% by volume; and then eluting a soybean saponin-containing fraction with a water-containing polar solvent having a water content of 5 to 40% by volume to obtain the soybean saponin-containing material.