Extraction and Characterization of Bioactive Compounds from Plant and Natural Sources

Dear Colleagues,

The extraction and characterization of bioactive compounds from plant and natural sources play a pivotal role in modern scientific research and various industries. Plant and natural sources have long been recognized as valuable reservoirs of bioactive compounds with diverse therapeutic properties. These compounds, such as polyphenols, alkaloids, and essential oils, have demonstrated significant potential in preventing and treating various diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and neurodegenerative conditions. Moreover, the growing interest in sustainable and natural products has amplified the importance of exploring bioactive compounds from plants, as they offer eco-friendly alternatives to synthetic pharmaceuticals.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to collect and share new findings or reviews focusing on, but not limited to, novel extraction procedures for bioactive compounds from various natural sources, innovative isolation or detection techniques, the intriguing bioactivity of natural products, and new applications in nutraceuticals for the bioactive molecules.

We encourage and welcome you to share your research findings or new ideas highlighting the Extraction and Characterization of Bioactive Compounds From Plant and Natural Sources.

Dr. José Manuel Romero-Márquez
Dr. Alfonso Varela-López
Guest Editors

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• extraction
• characterization
• bioactive compounds
• natural sources
• nutraceutical
• plant materia

Title: Effect of the extraction solvent on the phenolic composition and antioxidant function of olive leaf extracts
Authors: María Castillo-Correa; Jose M. Espejo-Román; María D. Navarro-Hortal; Cristina Montalbán-Hernández; Daniel Hinojosa-Nogueira; Alfonso Varela-López; Jose M. Romero Márquez
Affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology “José Mataix Verdú”, Biomedical Research Centre, University of Granada, 18016 Armilla, Spain
Abstract: The review titled "Effect of the extraction solvent on the phenolic composition and antioxidant function of olive leaf extracts" examined existing research on how different solvents affected the extraction of phenolic compounds from olive leaves and their subsequent antioxidant properties. The review covered a range of solvents, including water, ethanol, methanol, and their combinations, highlighting how each solvent influenced the phenolic profile and antioxidant capacity of the extracts. Studies consistently showed that the type of solvent used significantly impacted both the quantity and types of phenolic compounds extracted, which in turn affected the antioxidant effectiveness of the extracts. This review underscored the critical role of solvent selection in maximizing the extraction of beneficial phenolic compounds from olive leaves, thereby enhancing their potential health benefits.

Title: Polyphenols extraction from different grape pomaces using natural deep eutectic solvents
Authors: Alessandro Frontini; Andrea Luvisi; Carmine Negro; Rita Accogli; Luigi De Bellis
Affiliation: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies (DiSTeBA), Salento University, Via Prov.le Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce, Italy
Abstract: Exploiting oenological industry’s by-products for the extraction of antioxidant compounds is a common goal to combine the need to reduce the environmental impact of the wine sector with that of increasing the availability of these highly demanded biomolecules, according to a circular economy approach. However, the organic solvents conventionally used for the extraction are related to several environmental and safety issues. Recently, natural deep eutectic solvents (NaDES) have attracted the interest of the research as alternative to traditional solvents for their effectiveness, low-toxicity and stability. In this work, we set out to test different NaDES for the extraction of phenolic compounds from local monovarietal grape pomaces resulted from different vinification processes (from both red and rosé vinification of Negroamaro and Primitivo grapes; rosé vinification of Susumaniello grapes and white vinification of Chardonnay, Fiano and Malvasia bianca grapes). Three binary choline chloride based NaDES were used (including lactic acid, tartaric acid and glycerol as hydrogen bond donors) and compared to ethanol as conventional solvent; extracts were characterized by HPLC/MS and colorimetric methods. The results highlighted that each NaDES allows to obtain a significantly higher total phenolic yield than ethanol; tartaric and lactic acid based NaDES resulted more effective for anthocyanins extraction while the most abundant compound was catechin (highest extraction yield with glycerol based NaDES and ethanol, without any significant differences). In most cases, extracts from grape pomaces obtained from rosé and white vinification gave the highest yields. As a result, NaDES have proven to be a real alternative for extraction process, allowing to obtain better (or at least equal) yields but with strongly reduced costs, risks and environmental impact.

Title: Exploring solvent variability in strawberry extraction processes for phenolic compound recovery
Authors: María D. Navarro-Hortal
Affiliation: Department of Physiology, Institute of Nutrition and Food Technology "José Mataix Verdú", Biomedical Research Centre, University of Granada, 18016 Armilla, Spain