Abstract: Theasaponin was purified from oil-tea-cake extract by the technique of ceramic membrane separation combined with macroporous resin adsorption. The conditions such as membrane flux, saponins transfer rate and impurity removal rate in ceramic membrane separation step were optimized. Then the conditions such as yield and purity of theasaponin in macroporous resin adsorption step were optimized. The results showed that the best purification process was as follows:making oil-tea-cake extract to get through ceramic membrane,pore size is 0.05 μm,operating pressure is 0.15 MPa, solution concentration is 1 %;then the extracts were adsorbed by AB-8 macroporous resin and eluted successively by water, 0.2 % NaOH to weak color, water to neutral and 60 % ethanol to obtain saponin fraction, the content of total saponin is over 95 %. The theasaponins got by the technique of ceramic membrane separation combined with macroporous resin adsorption have high purity and light color. This technique with low production cost and less pollution can be used in producing theasaponins industrially.

Key words: Camellia oleiferal Abel., theasaponin, membrane separation combined with macroporous resin adsorption