Green Extraction Methods: Unlocking Bioactive Potential for Natural Food Products and Functional Foods

A special issue of Foods (ISSN 2304-8158). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutraceuticals, Functional Foods, and Novel Foods".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 March 2025 | Viewed by 1069

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
University of Novi Sad, Institute of Food Technology, Bulevar cara Lazara 1, Novi Sad 21000, Serbia
Interests: functional food; bioactive compounds; green extraction techniques; natural products; food chemistry; food by-products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
University of Novi Sad, Institute of Technology, Blvd. Cara Lazara 1, Novi Sad 21000, Serbia
Interests: functional food; bioactive compounds; green extraction techniques; natural products; food chemistry; food by-products
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The extraction of bioactive compounds from agricultural and food materials is undergoing a significant shift towards eco-friendly approaches, placing a strong emphasis on sustainability and renewability. This transformation is motivated by the urgent need to mitigate the environmental and health impacts associated with conventional solvent extraction methods. As a result, there is a growing exploration of safer and more sustainable alternatives. Driven by the rising demand for natural food products and functional foods, the investigation of green extraction methods has gained substantial momentum. These methods not only strive to enhance the bioactive potential of natural compounds but also prioritize minimizing their ecological footprint.

This special issue focuses on the latest advancements in green extraction techniques such as supercritical fluid extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, ultrasound-assisted extraction, and enzyme-assisted extraction. Additionally, it aims to explore optimization parameters to maximize yield and bioactivity while addressing sustainability concerns through energy efficiency, waste reduction, and eco-friendly solvents. Characterization of extracted bioactive compounds and their applications in functional foods, nutraceuticals, and dietary supplements will also be highlighted, alongside regulatory challenges and comparative studies against traditional extraction methods, providing a comprehensive overview.

Dr. Alena Stupar
Dr. Aleksandra Mišan
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • bioactive compounds
  • eco-friendly approaches
  • green extraction techniques
  • optimization parameters
  • eco-friendly solvents
  • food technology
  • functional foods

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 661 KiB  
Article
Novel Green Strategy to Recover Bioactive Compounds with Different Polarities from Horned Melon Peel
by Teodora Cvanić, Mirjana Sulejmanović, Milica Perović, Jelena Vulić, Lato Pezo, Gordana Ćetković and Vanja Travičić
Foods 2024, 13(18), 2880; https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13182880 - 11 Sep 2024
Viewed by 715
Abstract
Around 20–30% of the horned melon’s weight is peel. This peel is often discarded or underutilized despite containing valuable bioactive compounds. Conventional methods for extracting polyphenols and carotenoids from horned melon peel are typically inefficient, environmentally harmful, or require significant time and energy. [...] Read more.
Around 20–30% of the horned melon’s weight is peel. This peel is often discarded or underutilized despite containing valuable bioactive compounds. Conventional methods for extracting polyphenols and carotenoids from horned melon peel are typically inefficient, environmentally harmful, or require significant time and energy. The potential of green cloud point extraction (CPE) or green surfactant-based extraction for recovering bioactives with different polarities from this kind of by-product has not been thoroughly investigated. Therefore, this study focused on optimizing CPE process parameters using a one-variable-at-a-time (OVAT) approach. Optimal CPE demonstrated superior yields compared to conventional, ultrasound, microwave, ultrasound-assisted CPE, and microwave-assisted CPE methods. Further, a Plackett–Burman design identified key factors influencing optimal CPE conditions, while artificial neural network (ANN) analysis assessed each input variable’s impact on outcomes. Maximum extraction efficiency for total phenolics (352.49 mg GAE/100 g), total carotenoids (16.59 mg β-carotene/100 g), and antioxidant activity (989.02 μmol TE/100 g) was achieved under conditions of: surfactant type = Tween 80, surfactant concentration = 2%; solid:liquid ratio = 1:100; pH = 6612; equilibration temperature = 35 °C; equilibration time = 60 min; salt type = NaCl; salt concentration = 16.4%; centrifugation speed = 7906× g ; centrifugation time = 13.358 min; and No. of CPE steps = Step 1. This comprehensive approach aimed to enhance the understanding and optimization of CPE for maximizing the recovery of bioactives from the horned melon peel, addressing the inefficiencies of traditional extraction methods. Full article
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