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Conventional and Emerging Extraction Techniques for Compounds from Natural Source and Food: 2nd Edition

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 2429

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The potential of natural resources and food (main and side streams) to create new opportunities for the isolation of high-value products has been underestimated and not thoroughly explored. However, the valorization of by-products and waste streams through the recovery of its valuable bioactive compounds has been recognized as an important method for increasing sustainability in production in order to create new opportunities on the market. The main issues associated with common valorization approaches of natural resources include the disadvantages and limitations of traditional extraction procedures that do not satisfy the economic aspects of production in terms of energy and resource preservation and improved yield and quality of the obtained extracts. Recent studies have suggested that novel extraction techniques could address several major challenges associated with conventional techniques and procedures. The main aim of their utilization is to achieve a reduction in energy and time consumption and, at the same time, to improve the extraction yield and quality of the extract. The traditional approach implies applications of organic solvents, which are followed by major issues in terms of poor selectivity towards certain bioactives, high price and tremendous environmental and human toxicity. Strong scientific evidence supporting the efficiency of emerging extraction techniques for the production of high-quality extracts with improved bioactivity suggests that different applications need to be explored urgently. The main focus of this Special Issue is the investigation of conventional and novel extraction techniques as efficient tools for the isolation of bioactive compounds from natural resources. This Special Issue is open to all high-quality contributions aimed at the development of innovative concepts for extracting bioactive compounds by applications following traditional and emerging techniques:

  • Conventional solid–liquid extraction;
  • Soxhlet extraction;
  • Hydrodistillation;
  • Ultrasound-assisted extraction;
  • Microwave-assisted extraction;
  • Supercritical fluid extraction;
  • Pressurized-liquid and subcritical water extraction;
  • Enzyme-assisted processes;
  • Extraction with natural deep eutectic solvents, etc.

Dr. Branimir Pavlic
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • convectional extraction techniques
  • ultrasound-assisted extraction
  • microwave-assisted extraction
  • high-pressure processes
  • NADES extraction
  • bioactive compounds

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 3601 KiB  
Article
Response Surface Optimization for Water-Assisted Extraction of Two Saponins from Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis Leaves
by Yutian Jin, Qing Qiao, Linmei Dong, Mokun Cao, Ping Li, Aizhong Liu and Rui Sun
Molecules 2024, 29(7), 1652; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29071652 - 06 Apr 2024
Viewed by 518
Abstract
The process of extracting polyphyllin II and polyphyllin VII by water-assisted extraction was established and optimized in this study. Response surface methodology was used to establish a prediction model to optimize the extraction conditions. Based on the one-way test, the Box–Behnken design with [...] Read more.
The process of extracting polyphyllin II and polyphyllin VII by water-assisted extraction was established and optimized in this study. Response surface methodology was used to establish a prediction model to optimize the extraction conditions. Based on the one-way test, the Box–Behnken design with three factors and three levels was used for the experimental program, and the composition analysis was carried out by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The optimal extraction conditions for polyphyllin II and polyphyllin VII were as follows: extraction time of 57 and 21 min, extraction temperature of 36 and 32 °C, solid-to-liquid ratio of 1:10 and 1:5 g/mL, respectively, and the yields of polyphyllin II and polyphyllin VII were 1.895 and 5.010%, which was similar to the predicted value of 1.835 and 4.979%. The results of the ANOVA showed that the model fit was good, and the Box–Behnken response surface method could optimize the water-assisted extraction of saponins from the leaves of Paris polyphylla var. yunnanensis. This study provides a theoretical basis for the application of polyphyllin II and polyphyllin VII in pharmaceutical production. Full article
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17 pages, 4655 KiB  
Article
Structural Characterization and Antioxidant Activity of β-Glucans from Highland Barley Obtained with Ultrasonic–Microwave-Assisted Extraction
by Lihua Chen, Chunfeng Cui, Zhiheng Wang, Fuhong Che, Zhanxiu Chen and Shengbao Feng
Molecules 2024, 29(3), 684; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29030684 - 01 Feb 2024
Viewed by 720
Abstract
In order to efficiently extract β-glucan from highland barley (HBG) and study its structural characterization and antioxidant activity, ultrasonic–microwave-assisted extraction (UME) was optimized by the response surface method (RSM). Under the optimal extraction conditions of 25.05 mL/g liquid–solid ratio, 20 min ultrasonic time, [...] Read more.
In order to efficiently extract β-glucan from highland barley (HBG) and study its structural characterization and antioxidant activity, ultrasonic–microwave-assisted extraction (UME) was optimized by the response surface method (RSM). Under the optimal extraction conditions of 25.05 mL/g liquid–solid ratio, 20 min ultrasonic time, and 480 W microwave intensity, the DPPH radical scavenging activity of HBG reached 25.67%. Two polysaccharide fractions were purified from HBG, namely HBG-1 and HBG-2. Structural characterization indicated that HBG-1 and HBG-2 had similar functional groups, glycosidic linkages, and linear and complex chain conformation. HBG-1 was mainly composed of glucose (98.97%), while HBG-2 primarily consisted of arabinose (38.23%), galactose (22.01%), and xylose (31.60%). The molecular weight of HBG-1 was much smaller than that of HBG-2. Both HBG-1 and HBG-2 exhibited concentration-dependent antioxidant activity, and HBG-1 was more active. This study provided insights into the efficient extraction of HBG and further investigated the structure and antioxidant activities of purified components HBG-1 and HBG-2. Meanwhile, the results of this study imply that HBG has the potential to be an antioxidant in foods and cosmetics. Full article
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15 pages, 3028 KiB  
Article
Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents for the Extraction of Spilanthol from Acmella oleracea (L.) R.K.Jansen
by Fabian Alperth, Theresa Feistritzer, Melanie Huber, Olaf Kunert and Franz Bucar
Molecules 2024, 29(3), 612; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules29030612 - 27 Jan 2024
Viewed by 786
Abstract
With a growing focus on green chemistry, the extraction of natural products with natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES), which are eutectic mixtures of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors, has become an ever-expanding field of research. However, the use of NADES for the extraction [...] Read more.
With a growing focus on green chemistry, the extraction of natural products with natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES), which are eutectic mixtures of hydrogen bond donors and acceptors, has become an ever-expanding field of research. However, the use of NADES for the extraction of spilanthol from Acmella oleracea (L.) R.K.Jansen has not yet been investigated. Therefore, in this study, 20 choline chloride-based NADES, and for comparison, ethanol, were used as green extraction agents for spilanthol from Acmella oleracea flower heads. The effects of time, water addition, and temperature on NADES extractions were investigated and analysed by HPLC-DAD quantification. Additionally, UHPLC-DAD-ESI-MSn results for dichloromethane extracts, as well as the isolation of spilanthol and other main constituents as reference compounds, are reported. The best green extraction results were achieved by choline chloride (ChCl) with 1,2-propanediol (P, 1:2 molar ratio, +20% water) at 244.58 µg/mL, comparable to yields with ethanol (245.93 µg/mL). Methylurea (MeU, 1:2, +20% water) also showed promising results as a hydrogen bond donor in combination with choline chloride (208.12 µg/mL). In further experiments with NADES ChCl/P (1:2) and ChCl/MeU (1:2), extraction time had the least effect on spilanthol extraction with NADES, while yield decreased with water addition over 20% and increased with extraction temperature up to 80 °C. NADES are promising extraction agents for the extraction of spilanthol, and these findings could lead to applicable extracts for medicinal purposes, due to their non-toxic constituents. Full article
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