Advances in the Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Horticultural Plants

A special issue of Horticulturae (ISSN 2311-7524). This special issue belongs to the section "Postharvest Biology, Quality, Safety, and Technology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2023) | Viewed by 7363

Special Issue Editors

Department of Process Engineering, Faculty of Food Technology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Interests: extraction; bioactive compounds; encapsulation; spray drying
Department of Process Engineering, Faculty of Food Technology, Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek, 31000 Osijek, Croatia
Interests: extraction; medicinal plants; supercritical carbon dioxide; industrial design; phenolic compounds; response surface methodology
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to submit original articles or reviews to this Special Issue (SI) of Horticulturae entitled “Advances in the Extraction of Bioactive Compounds from Horticultural Plants”. Bioactive compounds represent the secondary metabolites that are widely found in plants. They have been used to prevent the risk of illness and to treat a wide range of diseases. In plants, they play a role in protecting plants from biotic and abiotic stress. Since bioactive compounds are present in small amounts, it is important to optimize their production to achieve the highest possible amount of production while using the least amount of energy and resources as possible. Conventional extraction techniques, including Soxhlet extraction, maceration, and hydro- and steam distillation, have several limitations in terms of the amount of solvent, time, and energy consumed, and there is a risk of thermally sensitive compounds degrading. Efforts to overcome those limitations have resulted in the development of novel extraction techniques such as ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), pulsed electric fields (PEFs), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), subcritical water extraction (SWE), high-voltage electric discharge (HVED)-assisted extraction, and many others.

This SI welcomes research articles, reviews, short notes ,and opinion articles related to any extraction technique strategy to improve  production and to enhance the yield of bioactive compounds from horticultural plants as well as agricultural wastes, etc. Contributions dealing with updates on the biological activity of extracted bioactive compounds and their stabilization using encapsulation techniques are also welcome.

Dr. Marija Banožić
Prof. Dr. Stela Jokić
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Horticulturae is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2200 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • bioactive compounds
  • extraction
  • novel extraction techniques
  • biological activities
  • encapsulation

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 586 KiB  
Article
Comparative Evaluation of Different Extraction Techniques for Separation of Artemisinin from Sweet Wormwood (Artemisia annua L.)
by Marija Banožić, Aleksandra Weronika Wronska, Martina Jakovljević Kovač, Krunoslav Aladić, Igor Jerković and Stela Jokić
Horticulturae 2023, 9(6), 629; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9060629 - 26 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1305
Abstract
Sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua L.) valorization is gaining importance due to the presence of the health-promoting bioactive compound, artemisinin. Considering the wide possible application of artemisinin drug formulations, new, greener technologies in their production are welcome. In this study, artemisinin was extracted [...] Read more.
Sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua L.) valorization is gaining importance due to the presence of the health-promoting bioactive compound, artemisinin. Considering the wide possible application of artemisinin drug formulations, new, greener technologies in their production are welcome. In this study, artemisinin was extracted from A. annua leaves using green extraction technologies (ultrasound-assisted extraction, supercritical CO2 extraction, deep eutectic solvent extraction and subcritical water extraction) in combination with green solvents. Artemisinin was present up to 3.21 µg/mgdw. Among the different green extraction techniques, HPLC data revealed supercritical CO2 (SCO2) extracts to exhibit the highest yield of artemisinin due to the solvent non-polar properties. Additionally, the volatile compounds profile of SCO2 extract was determined, with camphor (12.23%), arteannuin b (15.29%) and artemisia ketone (10.97%) as the most abundant compounds. Obtained results encourage the use of green extraction techniques for the separation of artemisinin and are expected to find potential in pharmaceutical, cosmetic and food applications. Full article
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13 pages, 1434 KiB  
Article
Extraction, Composition and Comparisons–Free Volatile Compounds from Hydrosols of Nine Veronica Taxa
by Marija Nazlić, Dario Kremer, Karla Akrap, Snježana Topić, Nenad Vuletić and Valerija Dunkić
Horticulturae 2023, 9(1), 16; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae9010016 - 22 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1391
Abstract
The extraction of bioactive plant components, which belong to specialized metabolites, is carried out by conventional and novel extraction methods. In this study, a classical (hydrodistillation, HD) and a novel technique (microwave-assisted water extraction, MAE) were used to isolate free volatile compounds from [...] Read more.
The extraction of bioactive plant components, which belong to specialized metabolites, is carried out by conventional and novel extraction methods. In this study, a classical (hydrodistillation, HD) and a novel technique (microwave-assisted water extraction, MAE) were used to isolate free volatile compounds from nine Croatian Veronica taxa (family Plantaginaceae). Each of these extracts consists of a lipophilic phase and an aqueous phase (hydrosol). Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to identify the compounds in the hydrosol phase studied taxa Veronica. The compounds β-ionone and benzene acetaldehyde were detected in all nine Veronica hydrosols studied. Other compounds abundant in all investigated species are germacrene D, α-muurolol, (E)-β-damascenone, and β-ionone. Also, the compositions of hydrosols and lipophilic phases (published in our previous research) of these nine Veronica species were compared. Identification of the compounds in both extract parts is important for selecting the extract part for further biological research. According to the distribution of species in the PCA analyses comparing two methods, only two species showed a greater difference in the composition of the hydrosol by the two methods, therefore our conclusion is that for most species there is no significant difference in the composition. Microwave water extraction is a better choice with regards to more environmentally friendly working conditions. Furthermore, we conclude that hydrosol extracts are not waste products, but are a valuable source of compounds with great potential applications. Full article
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11 pages, 915 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of the Effects of Process Conditions on the Extraction of Glucosinolates from Broccoli Sprouts
by Erika Melissa Bojorquez-Rodríguez, Daniel Guajardo-Flores, Daniel A. Jacobo-Velázquez and Sergio O. Serna-Saldívar
Horticulturae 2022, 8(11), 1090; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8111090 - 18 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1807
Abstract
Glucosinolates and their enzyme-degraded metabolites, such as isothiocyanates, have shown great potential to prevent and treat chronic-degenerative diseases. Broccoli sprouts (Brassica oleracea L., var. italica) are an excellent source of glucosinolates. The objective of this study was to evaluate different process conditions [...] Read more.
Glucosinolates and their enzyme-degraded metabolites, such as isothiocyanates, have shown great potential to prevent and treat chronic-degenerative diseases. Broccoli sprouts (Brassica oleracea L., var. italica) are an excellent source of glucosinolates. The objective of this study was to evaluate different process conditions (temperature, solvent concentration, and sample:solvent ratio) for the extraction of glucosinolates present in broccoli sprouts. The study evaluated different combinations of temperature (15–64 °C), ethanol concentration (0–100%), and sample:solvent ratio (1:15–1:35 w/v). The treatment with 40 °C, 50% ethanol/water (v/v), 1:35 (w/v) generated the highest extraction of total glucosinolates (100,094 ± 9016 mg/kg DW). The ethanol percentage was the factor that exerted the greatest impact on glucosinolate extraction (p < 0.05). In addition, the amount of glucoraphanin in the extract was determined, obtaining a final concentration of 14,986 ± 1862 mg/kg DW of sprouts processed under the optimal extraction conditions studied. The data presented herein demonstrate the relevance of the ethanol concentration during the extraction and the importance of applying high temperature in solid-liquid phase extraction. Under optimal conditions, it was possible to obtain extracts rich in glucosinolates to prepare food supplements, nutraceuticals, and even pharmaceuticals with application in the prevention and treatment of chronic-degenerative diseases. Full article
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19 pages, 1998 KiB  
Article
Comparison between Ultrasonic Bath and Sonotrode Extraction of Phenolic Compounds from Mango Peel By-Products
by María José Aznar-Ramos, María del Carmen Razola-Díaz, Vito Verardo and Ana María Gómez-Caravaca
Horticulturae 2022, 8(11), 1014; https://doi.org/10.3390/horticulturae8111014 - 01 Nov 2022
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1799
Abstract
Phenolic compounds present in mango peel byproducts have been reported to have several beneficial health properties. In this study, we carried out an optimization of phenolic compounds using ultrasound-assisted extraction via ultrasonic bath and sonotrode. To optimize the variables of extraction, a Box–Behnken [...] Read more.
Phenolic compounds present in mango peel byproducts have been reported to have several beneficial health properties. In this study, we carried out an optimization of phenolic compounds using ultrasound-assisted extraction via ultrasonic bath and sonotrode. To optimize the variables of extraction, a Box–Behnken design was used to evaluate the best conditions to obtain high total phenolic compound extraction and high antioxidant activity evaluated by different methods (DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP). The optimal ultrasonic bath conditions were 45% ethanol, 60 min, and 1/450 ratio sample/solvent (w/v) whereas optimal sonotrode conditions were 55% ethanol, 18 min, and 65% amplitude. The extracts obtained at the optimal conditions were characterized by HPLC–ESI-TOF-MS. A total of 35 phenolic compounds were determined and, to our knowledge, several of them were tentatively identified for the first time in mango peel. The samples were composed mainly by phenolic acids derivatives, specifically of galloylglucose and methylgallate, which represented more than 50% of phenolic compounds of mango peel byproducts. In conclusion, sonotrode is a valuable green technology able to produce enriched phenolic compound extracts from mango peel byproducts that could be used for food, nutraceutical, and cosmeceutical applications. Full article
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