Search Results (57)

Almonds (Prunus dulcis; family Rosaceae) contain 18–25% protein (dry weight). They are an important plant-based protein source in dairy alternatives and other functional foods. The hard and dense nature of almond kernels and the localization of proteins with lipid bodies in the cotyledons of almond seeds make it challenging to recover protein from the seed efficiently and preserve its function. Therefore, this review evaluates the influence of pretreatments, including blanching, grinding, and defatting, on almond protein recovery and functionality, and compares conventional and emerging technologies for almond protein. Traditional protein extraction techniques such as alkaline extraction–isoelectric precipitation (AE–IEP), aqueous extraction, and salt extraction provide moderate-to-high protein yields, but harsh processing conditions denature the proteins, decrease solubility, and cause functional properties to be lost. On the other hand, emerging protein extraction technologies (including enzyme-assisted aqueous extraction (EAE) ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), high-pressure processing (HPP), and pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment) improve protein recovery, resulting in protein extract with superior functional properties and reduced allergenicity. However, their application in industry remain challenging. This review reveals that pretreatment approaches and conditions/parameters significantly influence protein extraction efficiency and the functional and structural properties of almonds, and that no single method is universally optimal. This review concludes that controlled enzymatic hydrolysis combined with physical pretreatment may be the best approach for producing high-value-added almond protein ingredients with specific techno-functional properties for use in plant-based beverages, hypoallergenic products, or nutraceuticals. More research is needed to develop an efficient, applicable, sustainable and eco-friendly almond protein extraction process, optimizing processing conditions to achieve high protein recovery while retaining desirable functional properties, and reduce operating costs. Full article

The exponential growth of the fruit-processing industry generates significant quantities of organic by-products, such as peels, seeds, and pomace, which represent a rich but underutilized source of bioactive polyphenols. Valorizing these residues is critical for the transition toward a circular bioeconomy, yet conventional extraction methods remain solvent-intensive and kinetically inefficient. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of emerging green extraction technologies, specifically Ultrasound-Assisted (UAE), Microwave-Assisted (MAE), Enzyme-Assisted (EAE), Pressurized Liquid (PLE), and Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE), and Pulsed Electric Field (PEF), applied to key industrial matrices including apple, citrus, grape, olive, and coffee. Comparative data demonstrate that intensification technologies significantly outperform conventional maceration, with UAE and MAE reducing processing times by up to 90% while enhancing polyphenol yields by 20–55% through mechanisms such as acoustic cavitation and dipole rotation. Furthermore, high-pressure methods exhibit tunable selectivity, enabling the specific recovery of heat-sensitive anthocyanins and bound phenolics without the use of toxic organic solvents. The study concludes that the future of industrial valorization lies in the adoption of hybrid technologies and sequential biorefinery strategies to achieve high-purity isolates with minimal environmental impact. Full article

This study investigates the extraction of pectic polysaccharides from rapeseed meal (RSM) using both conventional and enzyme-assisted techniques, and the obtained pectic polysaccharide fractions will be used later to produce prebiotic pectic oligosaccharides (POS). A two-step process was developed, involving enzymatic treatment with Alcalase^® 2.4 L for 2 h and Cellic^® CTec3 HS preparations for 24 h, followed by ammonium oxalate extraction, which effectively isolated two pectic polysaccharide-enriched fractions: PP-EAE (first step) and the resulting Ca-bound pectic polysaccharides fraction (CaPP-EAE) (second step). Both fractions exhibited a bimodal molecular weight profile, indicative of the presence of long-chain polysaccharides alongside oligosaccharides. CaPP-EAE compositional analysis revealed that the fraction contained 56.8% galacturonic acid (GalA), low methyl-esterified (LM) pectins with 53.2% homogalacturonan (HG) and 30.2% rhamnogalacturonan I (RG-I) domains, featuring side chains of arabinan, arabinogalactan, and galactan. Subsequent enzymatic treatment with 0.5% (v/v) of Pectinex^® Ultra Passover for 30 min transformed these fragments into a mixture of short-chain POS. Importantly, the produced short-chain POS fraction demonstrated enhanced prebiotic activity, particularly for bacterial strains of the family Lactobacillaceae, compared to a yeast strain. These findings provide a sustainable, biorefinery-compatible approach for extracting and modifying RSM polysaccharides, supporting the development of structurally defined POS as novel prebiotics. Full article

Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE) in Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NaDES) was investigated as a green approach to extract bioactive compounds from the pseudofruit of Rosa canina L. Initially, the thermal stability of protease (Neutrase^®) was evaluated at different temperatures (30–80 °C) in the NaDES Choline Chloride: Glycerol (1:2 molar ratio) (ChCl: Gly) with 20% (w/w) water as a cosolvent and in a buffer solution of the same pH. Kinetic and thermodynamic analyses revealed that ChCl:Gly markedly enhanced enzyme stability, extending half-life by up to 13-fold at 30–50 °C by increasing the enthalpic barrier to deactivation. EAE in NADES parameters, including enzyme loadings and extraction time, were optimized based on total phenolic (TPC) and flavonoid content (TFC), yielding maximum values of 135.75 ± 0.33 mg GAE/g DW and 65.05 ± 0.58 mg CAE/g DW, respectively. Extracts obtained under optimal conditions exhibited enhanced antioxidant, antidiabetic (α-amylase and α-glucosidase inhibition), anti-aging (tyrosinase inhibition), and antibacterial (inhibition of Escherichia coli growth) activities, outperforming enzyme-free extracts in all cases. The optimum extract also significantly reduced A431 cell viability (27–40%, p < 0.05). Overall, EAE in NaDES improved both enzyme stability and extraction efficiency, offering a sustainable and effective alternative for producing bioactive plant extracts. Full article

(1) Background: Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disease with a rising global prevalence. Mulberry leaf (ML), a traditional medicinal and edible plant, possesses notable hypoglycemic effects and has a long history of usage. This review aims to systematically consolidate the research progress on the hypoglycemic constituents derived from ML, including their chemical structure, extraction methods, quality analysis techniques, and hypoglycemic mechanisms. (2) Methods: Adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA 2020) guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted using Web of Science and PubMed databases to find relevant studies published between 2015 and 2025. (3) Results: This review evaluates both conventional and modern techniques such as water extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), and enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE), highlighting their advantages and limitations when applied on ML. Additionally, this review examines the analytical techniques applied in the quality control of ML and its constituents. This is complemented by a summary of hypoglycemic mechanisms, focusing on the inhibition of oxidative stress, amelioration of insulin resistance, regulation of related enzyme activity, and modulation of gut microbiota. (4) Conclusions: ML demonstrates considerable potential for treating diabetes. However, further studies are needed for new drug discovery based on new ML-derived bioactive constituents, highly efficient extraction methods, quality analysis techniques, and underlying mechanisms. Full article

The growing demand for sustainable protein sources has increased interest in algae and aquatic plants as alternatives to animal-derived proteins. These resources are rich in protein, amino acids, and umami compounds but require suitable extraction methods to maximize yield and quality. This study compared three green extraction techniques—maceration (MAE, 80 °C, 2 h), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE, 750 W, 20 kHz, 50% amplitude, 35 °C, pH 12, 1 h), and enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE, 5% β-glucanase/flavourzyme, 55 °C, pH 6.5, 1 h)—on five raw materials: wakame (commercial seaweed), hair seaweed, sea lettuce, water silk algae, and Wolffia. The result revealed that both raw materials and extraction methods significantly (p < 0.05) affected protein yield, amino acid, physicochemical properties, and taste detection with e-tongue. Wolffia extracted by MAE yielded the highest protein overall, followed by UAE and EAE methods, when compared with commercial seaweed. The relationship between amino acid profiles and taste detection was investigated by principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA); the samples with higher glutamic and aspartic acids were linked with umami taste, while histidine contributed to bitter taste. Overall, the findings highlighted that extraction efficiency was influenced more by the extraction method–material compatibility than the raw material alone. Full article

This study systematically compared ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) with five other methods (hot water extraction (HWE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), acid extraction (FTACP), alkali extraction (FTAIP), and enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE)) for their effects on the yield, physicochemical properties, and bioactivities of Rosa laevigata Michx. polysaccharides. The results demonstrated UAE’s superior performance: it achieved a higher polysaccharide yield (31.27%) than HWE, FTACP, and FTAIP, approaching that of MAE and EAE. SEM observation revealed that UAE-derived polysaccharides exhibited a uniform porous network with smooth surfaces and excellent dispersibility, outperforming the irregular aggregates or structural loosening observed in other methods. Notably, UAE polysaccharides showed remarkable cholesterol-binding capacity (31.18 mg/g) and FRAP reducing power (0.0423 mmol/g), which highlights their potential for functional food applications. Structural analyses (FT-IR, XRD, TGA) confirmed that UAE better preserved the native conformation and thermal stability of polysaccharides, whereas chemical (FTACP/FTAIP) and high-temperature (MAE) methods induced molecular degradation. In conclusion, UAE, as an eco-friendly and low-denaturation technique, offers an optimal strategy for the high-value utilization of R. laevigata polysaccharides. Full article

A growing number of studies evaluated cornelian cherry (Cornus mas L.) fruits due to their rich phenolic profile. It is obvious that the efficient recovery of these compounds depends on the extraction method used. Thus, this study aimed at comparing conventional (maceration, decoction) and non-conventional (ultrasound-assisted [UAE], enzyme-assisted [EAE]) extractions. Two novel aspects were characterized: the first application of EAE for cornelian cherry fruit phenolic recovery and the use of untargeted UHPLC-HRMS metabolomics. Untargeted UHPLC-HRMS profiling in positive electrospray ionization mode annotated 342 compounds, the broadest chemical analysis of C. mas fruits reported to date, followed by a semi-quantitative assessment of main phenolic compound subclasses using representative standards and multivariate statistical approaches. UAE proved most effective for recovering total flavonoids (433.6 μg eq./g) and phenolic acids (420.2 μg eq./g), while EAE selectively enriched other phenolic category compounds, semi-quantified as oleuropein equivalents (1975.4 μg eq./g). Multivariate analysis further confirmed distinct phytochemical fingerprints across extraction methods: the UAE extract was characterized by isocoumarin 2,4-di-O-methylolivetonide, while two compounds, cardamonin and ellagic acid arabinoside, were specifically up-accumulated in the EAE extract. All extracts showed moderate antioxidant (UAE > decoction > maceration > EAE) and enzyme inhibitory activities, with UAE and maceration being the most promising for multifunctional bioactivity. However, while untargeted UHPLC-HRMS revealed unprecedented complexity, results remain tentative and highlight the need for future targeted validation. Full article

Enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE) was applied to extract bioactive compounds from the leaves of Origanum dictamnus L. using the commercial enzyme preparation Cellic^® CTec3 HS. A Taguchi experimental design was applied to determine the optimal EAE conditions. The variables were enzyme loading, solid-to-liquid ratio, extraction time and the responses of total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC). Under optimized conditions, EAE achieved TPC yield of 164.8 ± 5.2 mg GAE/g and TFC yield reached 92.5 ± 5.7 mg CAE/g. The results support the potential of EAE as an efficient method for extraction of bioactive compounds from Origanum dictamnus L. Full article

The rising amount of food industry waste has sparked interest in its valorization as a source of bioactive compounds. This study combines bibliometric analysis and a systematic review to map the scientific literature on the recovery of bioactive compounds from food byproducts, focusing on green extraction strategies and their alignment with the principles of the circular economy. A total of 176 documents, published between 2015 and 2025, were analyzed. The analysis shows significant growth after 2020 and highlights bioactive compounds, extraction, and the circular economy as the primary research themes. Italy, Spain, and Brazil emerged as the leading countries in scientific production. The systematic review covers green extraction techniques, including ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE), and natural deep eutectic solvent extraction (NADES). UAE- and NADES-based processes were the most frequently applied extraction techniques, mainly targeting phenolic compounds and flavonoids. Significant progress has been observed, particularly in the advancement of extraction technologies, in the recovery of key bioactive compounds, and in their industrial applications. These methods recover phenolics, flavonoids, anthocyanins, and other compounds with antioxidant, antimicrobial, and cardioprotective properties, which have potential applications in functional foods, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, and biodegradable packaging. Nutraceuticals and functional foods represent the main application areas, followed by cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Despite progress, challenges remain, including scalability, equipment costs, solvent recovery, and process standardization. The green extraction of bioactive compounds from food byproducts shows promise and can support the goals of the 2030 Agenda. Full article

Pleurotus ostreatus, commonly known as the oyster mushroom, is a widely cultivated edible mushroom characterized by its nutritional value and health benefits. However, its large-scale production generates significant amounts of agro-industrial by-products, such as stipes, residual mycelium, and spent mushroom substrate (SMS). These by-products are often discarded despite their high content of bioactive compounds such as dietary fiber, β-glucans, polyphenols, ergosterol, and essential minerals. This review provides a critical overview of emerging green extraction technologies (i.e., ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), subcritical water extraction (SWE), enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE), and pulsed electric fields (PEF)) as a strategy for the sustainable valorization of bioactive compounds from P. ostreatus by-products. Despite promising results in the extraction of β-glucans and phenolic compounds, industrial scalability remains a challenge due to cost, energy demand, and regulatory issues. In addition, the potential incorporation of these compound by-products into functional food formulations is explored, highlighting their possible applications in meat, bakery, and dairy products. Although notable outcomes have been obtained in the use of the fruiting body as a functional ingredient, further research is needed into the potential use of by-products in order to optimize processing parameters, ensure safety, and validate consumer acceptance. Overall, the sustainable valorization of P. ostreatus by-products represents a dual opportunity to reduce food waste and develop innovative functional ingredients that contribute to health and sustainability. Full article

This is the first work to screen an optimal extraction method for Citrus reticulata Blanco cv. Tankan peel polysaccharides (CPP). The CPP was extracted using hot water extraction (HWE), acid extraction (AAE), enzyme extraction (EAE), high-pressure extraction (HPE), and ultrasound extraction (UAE), named CPP-W, CPP-A, CPP-E, CPP-P, and CPP-U, respectively. Results showed that CPP-A and CPP-P had higher extraction yields than other CPPs. The five CPPs varied chemically in molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, and microstructure, but shared similar IR spectra and core glycosidic linkages, indicating differential degradation while preserving core structures during extraction. Among these CPPs, CPP-A, CPP-E, and CPP-U exhibited stronger immunological activities, attributed to high galacturonic acid and low molecular weight. Moreover, CPPs significantly promoted secretion of cytokines (nitric oxide, NO; prostaglandin E₂, PGE₂; interleukin-6, IL-6; tumor necrosis factor-α, TNF-α) by activating downstream inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-related mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) pathways. Overall, CPP-E possessed high extraction yield, low molecular weight, and strong immuno-stimulatory activity, suggesting that enzyme-assisted extraction was the optimal approach for extracting CPP. Full article

Hazelnut cultivation is a strategic agricultural sector in Italy, with Calabria contributing through the native “Tonda Calabrese” cultivar, valued for its biodiversity. Despite its importance, data on the nutritional and compositional characteristics of this cultivar remain limited. In this study, hazelnuts from three different Calabrian producers were analyzed for morphological traits, proximate composition, and elemental content, using both conventional and non-destructive techniques such as CIELab color profiling and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy. The nuts showed high levels of essential micro-elements (Fe, Cu, Zn), aligning with previous findings on other cultivars, and showed no detectable pesticide residues, confirming their nutritional quality. Moreover, this study also aims to explore sustainable valorization strategies for hazelnut by-products, embracing circular economy principles in a “zero waste” approach, including oils and defatted flours. The extracted oils were evaluated for oxidative stability (peroxide value, p-anisidine, TOTOX index) and acidity, meeting Codex Alimentarius quality standards. The residual defatted flour was upcycled through eco-friendly methods, such as Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE) and Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE), to isolate the polyphenol and protein fractions, respectively. Both extracts exhibited notable antioxidant activity (34.7–35.3 mmol Fe²⁺ eq/100 g and 64.3–82.2 mmol Fe²⁺ eq/100 g, respectively), suggesting their potential use as valuable ingredients for dietetic and nutraceutical applications. Full article

This review examines recent advances in the extraction of valuable compounds from seaweed biomass, focusing on practical feasibility and environmental sustainability. There is a growing importance of seaweed biomass in terms of the study and acknowledgment of its untapped biotechnological potential (multiple compounds and biological activities) and in terms of economic impact. Conventional extraction techniques largely fail to address this challenge, even if optimized. This has led to the development and testing of innovative technologies as solutions for a ‘green’ and effective extraction of components from seaweed biomass and to biorefinery processes. There are large differences in outcomes between alternative processes, depending on the matrix, operational parameters, and targeted compounds and activities. Despite the positive results of some techniques, such as those based on physical mechanisms, namely Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE) and Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE), and on enzymatic selectivity, i.e., Enzyme-Assisted Extraction (EAE), there is no universally effective technique and approach, thus justifying integrated approaches combining different techniques. The application of ‘green’ solvents was also assessed and proven to harbor a large potential, just as the wet route. Although technical difficulties, outcome variability, and economic viability problems are relevant, recent progress in seaweed processing paves the way for a future blue economy. Full article

Chili peppers (Capsicum spp.), cacao (Theobroma cacao L.), and coffee (Coffea spp.) are important crops worldwide. Nearly 35%, 80%, and 45% of the respective fruits are underutilized or discarded, representing a considerable economic loss. This work reviews and analyzes the environmental factors that influence the concentration of the main alkaloids in these crops, including capsaicin, theobromine, and caffeine. Their reported anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, neuroprotective, and cytotoxic properties are also reviewed. This work explores strategies for the revalorization of these crops, comparing alkaloid extraction methods that use non-conventional techniques, including supercritical fluid extraction (SFE), ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), high-pressure and -temperature extraction (HPTE), pressurized liquid extraction (PLE), pressurized hot water extraction (PHWE), enzyme-assisted extraction (EAE), and pulsed electric field-assisted extraction (PEFAE), and their combination to enhance the recovery of capsaicin, theobromine, and caffeine, leading to sustainable and innovative uses of these crops’ byproducts. Capsaicin, theobromine, and caffeine alkaloids are promising ingredients for the development of functional foods, cosmeceuticals, and pharmaceuticals. Full article