The Chemistry of Food Bioactive Components from Natural Product: Extraction, Isolation, Characterization and Biological Significances

Bioactive compounds have the capacity to influence health via physiological and immunological effects. They are present in small quantities in foods and in natural products, but nonetheless, they have been demonstrated to such  bioactivities as anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-carcinogenic, anti-depressant, and anti-microbial properties that are beneficial to our health beyond basic nutritional standards. Thus, the evaluation of the biological properties that bioactive components have on our health has garnered a huge amount of , and they have begun to be used extensively in different commercial sectors, such as in the pharmaceutical and nutraceutical, cosmetics, and food processing industries.

A wide range of techniques have been used to process bioactive compounds from their source to the industries in which they are used. Recently, new and sophisticated chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques have been introduced for the purification and characterization of bioactive compounds from different sources such as plants, marine organisms, microorganisms, and waste from fruits and vegetables. Apart from these sources, bioactive compounds from fermented foods also act as a potential source of health benefits. They have the probability to lower the risks of several cancers, including breast, prostate, and colon cancer, and cardiovascular disease and have also been shown to improve bone health.

The biological activities of bioactive compounds are based on the lead or the privileged scaffold present in the structure. The different scaffolds that are present in natural bioactive compounds are carotenoids, flavonoids, indole, purine, chromone, coumarin, carnitine, choline coenzyme Q, benzothiphene, phytosterols, phytoestrogens, polyphenols, lactone, glucosinolates, among others. These privileged scaffolds are able to modify themselves into multiple molecules with different bioactivities. Some of the bioactive compounds that exist in large quantities have an adverse effect on health. These components have amassed their influence in analytical chemistry, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, green chemistry, nanotechnology, and metal chelation, and it is extremely important to study extraction and isolation techniques and their biological significance in order to take full advantage of the health benefits offered by bioactive compounds.

Dr. Kavita Sharma
Dr. Samjhana Pradhan
Guest Editors

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• bioactive compounds
• natural products
• chromatography
• spectroscopy
• biological significance
• green and cost-effective methods
• flavonoids
• polyphenols
• extraction, isolation, and purification