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Recent Advances in the Ecological Extraction and Application of Bioactive Plant Compounds

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A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 41707

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Dr. Urszula Szymanowska

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Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Food Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-704 Lublin, Poland
Interests: food science; food bioactive compounds; antioxidant activity; phenolic compounds; anthocyanins; functional food; food wastes (pomaces); food fortification
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Dr. Monika Karaś

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Department of Biochemistry and Food Chemistry, Faculty of Food Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, 20-704 Lublin, Poland
Interests: food science; food bioactive compounds; antioxidant activity; bioactive peptides; protein hydrolysates; functional food; food fortification; functional properties of proteins
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biologically-active compounds of plant origin play a very important role in the prevention of many diseases due to the fact that they exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, and many other properties.

Developing new, safe, and ecologically-friendly technologies for their acquisition is of great importance for society and is also a very interesting research topic in the multidisciplinary area of applied chemistry, biology, or food technology.

Extraction is the widely used technique of obtaining natural compounds (phenolic compounds, ascorbic acid, carotenoids, aroma compounds, etc.) from plant material. Ecological extraction is the invention, design, and application of solvents and processes to reduce or to eliminate the use and generation of hazardous substances, thereby obtaining a safe and high-quality product.

As Guest Editors of this Special Issue of Applied Sciences on “Recent Advances in the Ecological Extraction and Application of Bioactive Plant Compounds”, we invite you to provide original research contributions, as well as review articles, related to recent advances in the ecological methods for obtaining of bioactive plant compounds via human health and environment-protecting methods.

This Special Issue will also be focused on in vitro and in vivo pro-health activity of extracted compounds and using them for fortification or producing functional food.

Dr. Urszula Szymanowska
Dr. Monika Karaś
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Ecological extraction
Biologically active compounds
Conventional vs. Alternative extraction methods
Industrial applications
Phytochemicals
Functional food
Food fortification

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1244 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study of the Antimicrobial Effect of an Ethanolic Extract of Propolis in Periodontal Disease

by Maria Jesús Lisbona-González, Esther Muñoz-Soto, Candela Reyes-Botella, Maria Victoria Olmedo-Gaya, Javier Diaz-Castro and Jorge Moreno-Fernandez

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(16), 7463; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11167463 - 13 Aug 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2377

Abstract

Periodontal disease encompasses gingivitis and periodontitis and is one of the most common chronic infections in the adult population. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of Spanish propolis extract (EEP) on the effect of the clinical and microbiological parameters as an adjuvant to scaling and root planning in patients undergoing supportive periodontal therapy (SPT). Forty chronic periodontitis patients were randomly assigned into two groups for the treatment. In the control group (n = 20), the sites were treated by scaling and root planing followed by gingival irrigation with physiological saline and in the test group (n = 20), the sites were treated by scaling and root planing followed by subgingival placement of EEP. At baseline (BL), bleeding on probing positive (BOP+) sites with probing pocket (PPD) ≥ 4 mm were defined as study sites. Plaque index, PPD, BOP, clinical attachment level (CAL), and subgingival plaque were evaluated at BL and 1 month later. The results showed a significant clinical improvement (p < 0.05) in the PPD, CAL and BOP+ comparing them with BL and one month after the periodontal treatment and a significant reduction (p < 0.05) for Tannerella forsythensis, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Prevotella intermedia and Treponema denticola in both groups. In addition, the improvement of clinical parameters was observed with subgingival use of EEP and also statistically significant differences between groups were observed (p < 0.05) such as reductions of BOP+ % and reduced counts of T. forsythensis and P. gingivalis, considered as the “key pathogens” for the periodontal diseases. Our results suggest prophylactic and therapeutic potential for EEP against periodontal diseases, improving clinical parameters, reducing gingival bleeding and decreasing bacterial counts of T. forsythensis and P. gingivalis. The subgingival use of EEP represents a promising modality as an adjuvant in periodontal therapy to avoid microbial resistance and other adverse effects. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Ecological Extraction and Application of Bioactive Plant Compounds)

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15 pages, 898 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antiproliferative and Antimicrobial Activity of Anthocyanins from Berry Fruits after Their Isolation and Freeze-Drying

by Ivan Salamon, Ela Nur Şimşek Sezer, Maryna Kryvtsova and Pavol Labun

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(5), 2096; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11052096 - 26 Feb 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3231

Abstract

Natural phytonutrients in foods, including anthocyanins, can play an important role in human health. Anthocyanins have been reported to cause many various useful effects, such as reducing cancer cell proliferation, regulating blood pressure, preventing tumor formation, and preventing diabetes. In this study, we aimed to reveal the qualitative anthocyanin content, antiproliferative and antimicrobial effects of different extracts derived from Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium corymbosum, Sambucus nigra and Aronia melanocarpa. The anthocyanin content of the plants mentioned in the study was characterized after the freeze-drying process. MTT assay was chosen to determine the antiproliferative effect of extracts on colorectal cancer cells. Antimicrobial effects of extracts were studied on typical and clinical strains of five different bacteria. As a result, it was determined that the anthocyanin content in the extracts obtained by the freeze-drying method was acceptable, and some extracts were found to have a strong antiproliferative effect on colorectal cancer cells and have an antibacterial effect on typical and clinical strains. Conclusionally, it has been shown that anthocyanins, which are reported to have many beneficial effects, are very promising when prepared with a relatively new method, and this study is a pioneer study for possible future pharmacological and in vivo studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Ecological Extraction and Application of Bioactive Plant Compounds)

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13 pages, 1503 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Development and Evaluation of Ginkgo biloba L. Extract Loaded into Carboxymethyl Cellulose Sublingual Films

by Laura Rimkiene, Juste Baranauskaite, Mindaugas Marksa, Laurynas Jarukas and Liudas Ivanauskas

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(1), 270; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11010270 - 30 Dec 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3369

Abstract

Oral bioavailability of flavonoids, including G. biloba extract, is limited due to their chemical complexity, which determines slow dissolution in vitro behavior of the extract. The overall research objective was to compare the effect of increasing freeze-dried G. biloba extract (GFD) concentrations in carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) films on their mechanical properties, release profile of flavonoid glycosides, stability and disintegration time. Physicochemical evaluation of films was performed by SEM and FTIR. The mechanical properties and in vitro release profile of flavonoid glycosides from the prepared films were characterized in the study. The higher elongation at break and tensile strength values, quick release of flavonoids and good stability were observed in formulation, coded FRG—15 (the film contained 0.4 g of GFD, 0.3 g of glycerol and 2 g of 2% CMC), (p < 0.05). Dissolution rate tests showed that approximately 85% of loaded flavonoid glycosides had been released; the release profile of flavonoid glycosides from FRG-15 had levelled off after only 15 min. The results could lay the groundwork for further studies, concerning the development of sublingual films as G. biloba extract-based dosage forms, which might increase the multifunctional properties and pharmacological activity closer to the desired level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Ecological Extraction and Application of Bioactive Plant Compounds)

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10 pages, 1291 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimization and Validation of the GC/FID Method for the Quantification of Fatty Acids in Bee Products

by Laurynas Jarukas, Greta Kuraite, Juste Baranauskaite, Mindaugas Marksa, Ivan Bezruk and Liudas Ivanauskas

Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(1), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11010083 - 24 Dec 2020

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4708

Abstract

To the best of our knowledge, so far, no study has been conducted about the comparison of the total fatty acid concentration in the four bee products (honey, bee pollen, bee bread, and propolis) collected from Lithuania. Therefore, we aimed to optimize the derivatization parameters and to investigate a simple and sensitive gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID) method to determine fatty acids. The optimal derivatization parameters were used to analyze fatty acids in the bee products. Regarding sample preparation, three derivatization parameters were compared (temperature and extraction time with BF3/MeOH reagent) in order to obtain a high amount of the total fatty acids of interest from the fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) standard. The results showed that the highest total yield of fatty acids was conducted by using the conventional heating process at 70 °C for 90 min. Under optimal conditions, there was obtained excellent linearity for fatty acids with determination coefficients of r² > 0.9998. The LODs and LOQs ranged from 0.21 to 0.54 µg/mL and 0.63 to 1.63 µg/mL, respectively. This method has been successfully applied to the qualitative analysis of fatty acids in bee products. The above findings might provide a scientific basis for evaluating the nutritional values of bee products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Ecological Extraction and Application of Bioactive Plant Compounds)

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16 pages, 686 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

LC-ESI-MS/MS-MRM Profiling of Polyphenols and Antioxidant Activity Evaluation of Junipers of Different Origin

by Marta Olech, Renata Nowak, Diana Ivanova, Alexander Tashev, Stanislava Boyadzhieva, Galina Kalotova, George Angelov and Urszula Gawlik-Dziki

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(24), 8921; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10248921 - 14 Dec 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3182

Abstract

This study was aimed at identifying new efficient antioxidant juniper species and their metabolites, which are responsible for this activity. About 30 juniper representatives were assayed for antioxidant activity (DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) radical scavenging) and total polyphenol content (TPC). The most active species were identified, and their most abundant polyphenols were quantified by the LC-electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS/MS-multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) method. In the group of studied species, J. ashei (mountain cedar) leaf extract was outlined as the best antioxidant with the highest TPC. Catechin was revealed as the most abundant polyphenol in the J. ashei extract, contributing to its superior antioxidant properties. An in-depth analysis of antioxidant capacity was also performed. The higher metal-chelating activity was observed in the case of J. sibirica (0.83 mg DE/mL), whereas the lowest was observed for J. communis (3.2 mg dry extract (DE)/mL) extracts. All efficient antioxidant extracts were also able to inhibit lipoxygenase. EC₅₀ values ranged from 1.77 to 2.44 mg DE/mL. The most effective inhibitors were J. ashei and J. formozana extracts, which acted as uncompetitive lipoxygenase (LOX) inhibitors. The presented results have potential application in the pharmacy and cosmetics for the generation of antioxidant compositions based on naturally derived lead compounds for the prevention of oxidative-stress associated organ-degenerative diseases, cancer, or other free radical-induced disorders. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Ecological Extraction and Application of Bioactive Plant Compounds)

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14 pages, 1888 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antioxidant and Potentially Anti-Inflammatory Properties in Pasta Fortified with Onion Skin

by Monika Michalak-Majewska, Urszula Złotek, Urszula Szymanowska, Dominik Szwajgier, Piotr Stanikowski, Małgorzata Matysek and Aldona Sobota

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(22), 8164; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10228164 - 18 Nov 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2550

Abstract

In recent years, food industries have produced a large volume of waste, which is an ecological and economic problem. Fruit and vegetable by-products can also be promising sources of functional compounds, with documented pro-health potential. The goal of the study was to evaluate the impact of the addition of various concentrations of onion skin powder on the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties associated with changes in the quercetin content in uncooked and cooked pastas. The total contents of phenolic acids, quercetin, and antioxidant activity were determined. The anti-inflammatory activity was demonstrated by inhibitory effects on lipoxygenase (LOX) in vitro activity. Dry onion skin is the source of quercetin in analyzed pastas. The concentrations of these compounds gradually and significantly increased with increases in the vegetable component in fortified pastas. Additionally, a positive correlation between the content of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of pastas fortified with onion skin powder was noted. The process of cooking caused enhancement in the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory potential. These qualities of pastas resulted from the presence of dry onion skin with high pro-health activities. Fortification of pasta with onion skin powder could be a starting point to benefit onion industrial by-products and produce new healthy food products. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Ecological Extraction and Application of Bioactive Plant Compounds)

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15 pages, 1999 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Extraction of Alkaloids Using Ultrasound from Pulp and By-Products of Soursop Fruit (Annona muricata L.)

by Gabriela Aguilar-Hernández, Luis Gerardo Zepeda-Vallejo, María de Lourdes García-Magaña, María de los Ángeles Vivar-Vera, Alejandro Pérez-Larios, Manuel I. Girón-Pérez, Ana Velia Coria-Tellez, Cristian Rodríguez-Aguayo and Efigenia Montalvo-González

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(14), 4869; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10144869 - 16 Jul 2020

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 5568

Abstract

The main goal of this work was to measure the total alkaloid content (TALC) from pulp, peel, seed, and columella of soursop fruit (Annona muricata L.) by ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and to obtain the best conditions of the UAE with the response surface methodology (RSM). We evaluated the effect of amplitude (40%, 70%, and 100%), time (5, 10, and 15 min) and pulse-cycles (0.4, 0.7, and 1 s) and compared the best UAE conditions of alkaloids with a conventional extraction (maceration). The structural characterization of the raw material with the highest TALC was developed using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques [¹H, ¹³C, heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC), heteronuclear multiple bond correlation (HMBC), and homonuclear correlation spectroscopy (COSY)]. According to the RSM, the best conditions in the UAE for extracting alkaloids varied depending on the type of plant tissue. It took 5 min with an amplitude of 70% and pulse-cycles of 1, 0.4, and 1 s, respectively, to extract the highest TALC in peel, seed, and columella while the optimal conditions for extracting the largest amount of alkaloids from the pulp were obtained at 5 min in UAE with pulse-cycles of 0.55 s and 100% amplitude. The TALC was highest in the peel (7.48 mg/g), which was followed by the seed (2.31 mg/g), the pulp (1.20 mg/g), and the columella (0.79 mg/g) and was positively correlated (R² = 0.98–0.88) with the predicted values. In addition, the extraction alkaloids from the peel, pulp, seed, and columella using the UAE was 56.31, 5.45, 3.06, and 2.96 times higher, respectively, than the extraction by maceration. The alkaloids identified in the peel have not been reported and were nornuciferin, assimilobin, anonaine, and isolaureline. This study showed that the soursop fruit peel can be a source of alkaloids and that UAE has an important potential for extracting these compounds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Ecological Extraction and Application of Bioactive Plant Compounds)

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16 pages, 5035 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Potentilla anserina L. Polysaccharides Affected by Ultrasonication

by Yulong Huang, Jie Guo and Ji Zhang

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(13), 4510; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10134510 - 29 Jun 2020

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2069

Abstract

The effects of ultrasonic treatment on the physicochemical and antioxidant properties of Potentilla anserina L. polysaccharides (PAPs) were investigated. A Box–Behnken design (BBD) was applied to optimize the parameters of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE). A maximum yield of 9.43% was achieved at an extraction temperature of 66 °C, ultrasonic power of 205 W, and extraction time of 2.6 h. The chemical structure analyses illustrated that the two PAP extracts using UAE and hot water extraction (HWE) had the same monosaccharide composition but displayed a significant difference in the monosaccharide content, and the molecular weight of PAP_UAE was significantly lower than PAP_HWE. Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy confirmed that the ultrasonic treatment did not change the type of glycosidic bonds compared with HWE. In addition, the results from thermogravimetric analysis indicated that different extraction methods had effects on the physical properties of PAPs to some degree. Antioxidant activity assays demonstrated that PAP_UAE had higher superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities when cells were exposed to exogenous H₂O₂ than PAP_HWE, and the malondialdehyde levels were also lowered following exposure to PAP_UAE. These findings indicated that ultrasound irradiation is a promising technique for polysaccharide extraction from plant materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Ecological Extraction and Application of Bioactive Plant Compounds)

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13 pages, 292 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential Acetylcholinesterase, Lipase, α-Glucosidase, and α-Amylase Inhibitory Activity, as well as Antimicrobial Activities, of Essential Oil from Lettuce Leaf Basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) Elicited with Jasmonic Acid

by Urszula Złotek, Kamila Rybczyńska-Tkaczyk, Monika Michalak-Majewska, Małgorzata Sikora and Anna Jakubczyk

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(12), 4315; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10124315 - 23 Jun 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2878

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of the elicitation with jasmonic acid on the biological activities of essential oils (EOs) from lettuce leaf basil (Ocimum basilicum L.). Specifically, 0.01 µM jasmonic acid (JA1), 1 µM jasmonic acid (JA2), and 100 µM jasmonic acid (JA3) were used as elicitors. The results indicated that the elicitation increased the acetylcholinesterase, lipase, and α-amylase inhibitory activity of essential oils. A significant difference in α-glucosidase inhibition was noted only for the JA3 extract (IC₅₀ = 0.81 µL/mL), as this activity was lower than in the control sample without elicitation (IC₅₀ = 0.68 µL/mL). The studied basil EOs exhibited similar activity against Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive bacteria) and Escherichia coli (Gram-negative bacteria). Based on the value of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the minimum bactericidal concentrations (MBC), the best antimicrobial activity was observed for JA2 and JA3. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Ecological Extraction and Application of Bioactive Plant Compounds)

Review

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26 pages, 502 KiB

Open AccessReview

Extracts of Peanut Skins as a Source of Bioactive Compounds: Methodology and Applications

by Lisa L. Dean

Appl. Sci. 2020, 10(23), 8546; https://doi.org/10.3390/app10238546 - 29 Nov 2020

Cited by 24 | Viewed by 10658

Abstract

Peanut skins are a waste product of the peanut processing industry with little commercial value. They are also significant sources of the polyphenolic compounds that are noted for their bioactivity. The extraction procedures for these compounds range from simple single solvent extracts to sophisticated separation schemes to isolate and identify the large range of compounds present. To take advantage of the bioactivities attributed to the polyphenols present, a range of products both edible and nonedible containing peanut skin extracts have been developed. This review presents the range of studies to date that are dedicated to extracting these compounds from peanut skins and their various applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in the Ecological Extraction and Application of Bioactive Plant Compounds)

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