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Plant Extracts: Technologies, Characterizations and Applications

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A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Products Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2021) | Viewed by 34373

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Dr. Maria-Loredana Soran

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National Institute for Research and Development of Isotopic and Molecular Technologies, 67-103 Donat Street, 400293 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
Interests: nanomaterials; water treatment; extraction; plant stress; bioactive compounds
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Prof. Dr. Lucian Copolovici

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Faculty of Food Engineering, Tourism and Environmental Protection, “Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad, Elena Dragoi Street no. 2, 310330 Arad, Romania
Interests: volatile organic compounds; environmental engineering; environmental science; environmental health; plants metabolites
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant extracts have been increasingly used in the last years in various fields, such as medicine, food industry, cosmetic industry, and agriculture, because of their properties (e.g., antioxidant properties, antimicrobial activity, and so on). The plant extracts can be used in different forms, namely: free, encapsulated, and as a powder, depending on applications. In this Special Issue, we invite investigators to contribute with original research articles, as well as review articles that are related to the technologies, characterizations, and applications of plant extracts. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

New techniques for obtaining of plant extracts with high content of bioactive compounds
Characterization of plant extracts obtained in different conditions
Applications of bioactive compounds extracted

Dr. Soran Maria Loredana
Prof. Dr. Lucian Copolovici
Guest Editors

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Keywords

Plant extracts
Extracts characterization
Bioactive compounds isolation
Applications of bioactive compounds

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Published Papers (10 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 1696 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Application of HPTLC Multiwavelength Imaging and Color Scale Fingerprinting Approach Combined with Multivariate Chemometric Methods for Medicinal Plant Clustering According to Their Species

by Simona Codruța Aurora Cobzac, Neli Kinga Olah and Dorina Casoni

Molecules 2021, 26(23), 7225; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26237225 - 29 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2564

Abstract

In the current study, multiwavelength detection combined with color scales HPTLC fingerprinting procedure and chemometric approach were applied for direct clustering of a set of medicinal plants with different geographical growing areas. The fingerprints profiles of the hydroalcoholic extracts obtained after single and double development and detection under 254 nm and 365 nm, before and after selective spraying with specific derivatization reagents were evaluated by chemometric approaches. Principal component analysis (PCA) with factor analysis (FA) methods were used to reveal the contribution of red (R), green (G), blue (B) and, respectively, gray (K) color scale fingerprints to HPTLC classification of the analyzed samples. Hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA) was used to classify the medicinal plants based on measure of similarity of color scale fingerprint patterns. The 1-Pearson distance measurement with Ward’s amalgamation procedure proved to be the most convenient approach for the correct clustering of samples. Data from color scale fingerprints obtained for double development procedure and multiple visualization modes combined with appropriate chemometric methods proved to detect the similar medicinal plant extracts even though they are from different geographical regions, have different storage conditions and no specific markers are individually extracted. This approach could be proposed as a promising tool for authentication and identification studies of plant materials based on HPTLC fingerprinting analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: Technologies, Characterizations and Applications)

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15 pages, 937 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antimicrobial Effects of Basil, Summer Savory and Tarragon Lyophilized Extracts in Cold Storage Sausages

by Artur Macari, Rodica Sturza, Ildiko Lung, Maria-Loredana Soran, Ocsana Opriş, Greta Balan, Aliona Ghendov-Mosanu, Dan Cristian Vodnar and Daniela Cojocari

Molecules 2021, 26(21), 6678; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26216678 - 4 Nov 2021

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2523

Abstract

The problem of functional foods with bioactive components of natural origin is current for the food industry. Plant extracts rich in polyphenols with antioxidant and antimicrobial activity are a promising source for use in improving the quality and characteristics of fresh meat and meat products. In this context, the purpose of the present study was to evaluate the physico-chemical, microbiological, sensory properties of sausages prepared with the addition of lyophilized extract of basil, thyme or tarragon. For the beginning, the total amount of polyphenols, the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of the extracts obtained from three spices were evaluated. In the sausages previously infected with Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli it was observed that there is a much larger number of colonies of microorganisms in the control sample compared to the other samples within 24 and 48 h. Moreover, following the addition of sausage extracts, no changes were found regarding their sensory acceptability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: Technologies, Characterizations and Applications)

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16 pages, 1647 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Greener Is Better: First Approach for the Use of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES) to Extract Antioxidants from the Medicinal Halophyte Polygonum maritimum L.

by Iva Rukavina, Maria João Rodrigues, Catarina G. Pereira, Inês Mansinhos, Anabela Romano, Sylwester Ślusarczyk, Adam Matkowski and Luísa Custódio

Molecules 2021, 26(20), 6136; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26206136 - 11 Oct 2021

Cited by 17 | Viewed by 2765

Abstract

In this study, natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) formed by choline chloride (ChCl), sucrose, fructose, glucose, and xylose, were used to extract antioxidants from the halophyte Polygonum maritimum L. (sea knotgrass) and compared with conventional solvents (ethanol and acetone). NADES and conventional extracts were made by an ultrasound-assisted procedure and evaluated for in vitro antioxidant properties by the radical scavenging activity (RSA) on the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), and copper chelating activity (CCA). Samples were profiled by liquid chromatography (LC)-electrospray ionization (ESI)-QTOF-MS analysis. ChCl:fructose was more efficient in the DPPH assay, than the acetone extract. ChCl:sucrose and ChCl:fructose extracts had the highest ORAC when compared with the acetone extract. NADES extracts had higher CCA, than the acetone extract. The phenolic composition of the NADES extracts was less complex than the conventional extracts, but the proportions of major antioxidants, such as flavonols and flavan-3-ols, were similar in all the solvents. Myricitrin was the major flavonoid in all of the samples, while gallic acid was the main phenolic acid in the conventional extracts and present in a greater amount in ChCl:fructose. Results suggest that NADES containing ChCl and sucrose/fructose can replace conventional solvents, especially acetone, in the extraction of antioxidants from sea knotgrass. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: Technologies, Characterizations and Applications)

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10 pages, 1929 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Content of Carotenoids, Violaxanthin and Neoxanthin in Leaves of Triticum aestivum Exposed to Persistent Environmental Pollutants

by Ocsana Opriş, Florina Copaciu, Maria Loredana Soran, Ülo Niinemets and Lucian Copolovici

Molecules 2021, 26(15), 4448; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26154448 - 23 Jul 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1907

Abstract

Persistent pollutants such as pharmaceuticals, pesticides, musk fragrances, and dyes are frequently detected in different environmental compartments and negatively impact the environment and humans. Understanding the impacts of diffuse environmental pollutants on plants is still limited, especially at realistic environmental concentrations of contaminants. We studied the effects of key representatives of two major classes of environmental pollutants (nine different antibiotics and six different textile dyes) on the leaf carotenoid (violaxanthin and neoxanthin) content in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) using different pollutant concentrations and application times. The wheat plants were watered with solutions of selected environmental pollutants in two different concentrations of 0.5 mg L⁻¹ and 1.5 mg L⁻¹ for one week (0.5 L) and two weeks (1 L). Both categories of pollutants selected for this study negatively influenced the content of violaxanthin and neoxanthin, whereas the textile dyes represented more severe stress to the wheat plants. The results demonstrate that chronic exposure to common diffusively spread environmental contaminants constitutes significant stress to the plants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: Technologies, Characterizations and Applications)

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20 pages, 2028 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Chemical Profile, Antioxidant Capacity, and Antimicrobial Activity of Essential Oils Extracted from Three Different Varieties (Moldoveanca 4, Vis Magic 10, and Alba 7) of Lavandula angustifolia

by Mihaela Alexandra Bogdan, Simona Bungau, Delia Mirela Tit, Dana Carmen Zaha, Aurelia Cristina Nechifor, Tapan Behl, Dorina Chambre, Andreea Ioana Lupitu, Lucian Copolovici and Dana Maria Copolovici

Molecules 2021, 26(14), 4381; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26144381 - 20 Jul 2021

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 3649

Abstract

Chemical composition, antioxidant capacity, and antimicrobial activity of lavender essential oils (LEOs) extracted from three different varieties of Lavandula angustifolia Mill. (1-Moldoveanca 4, 2-Vis magic 10, and 3-Alba 7) have been determined. These plants previously patented in the Republic of Moldova were cultivated in an organic agriculture system in the northeastern part of Romania and then harvested in 3 consecutive years (2017–2019) to obtain the essential oils. From the inflorescences in the complete flowering stage, the LEOs were extracted by hydrodistillation. Then, their composition was analyzed by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and by Fourier Transformed Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The major identified constituents are as follows: linalool (1: 32.19–46.83%; 2: 29.93–30.97%; 3: 31.97–33.77%), linalyl acetate (1: 17.70–35.18%; 2: 27.55–37.13%; 3: 28.03–35.32%), and terpinen-4-ol (1: 3.63–7.70%; 2: 3.06–7.16%; 3: 3.10–6.53%). The antioxidant capacity as determined by ABTS and DPPH assays indicates inhibition, with the highest activity obtained for LEO var. Alba 7 from 2019. The in vitro antimicrobial activities of the LEOs and combinations were investigated as well, by using the disk diffusion method and minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) against the Gram-positive bacterial strain Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 6538), Gram-negative Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27858), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), the yeast Candida albicans (ATCC 10231), and clinical isolates. Our results have shown that LEOs obtained from the three studied varieties of L. angustifolia manifest significant bactericidal effects against tested microorganisms (Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli), and antifungal effects against Candida albicans. The mixture of LEOs (Var. Alba 7) and geranium, respectively, in tea tree EOs, in different ratios, showed a significant enhancement of the antibacterial effect against all the studied strains, except Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: Technologies, Characterizations and Applications)

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14 pages, 475 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Influence of Temperature, Storage Conditions, pH, and Ionic Strength on the Antioxidant Activity and Color Parameters of Rowan Berry Extracts

by Elena Cristea, Aliona Ghendov-Mosanu, Antoanela Patras, Carmen Socaciu, Adela Pintea, Cristina Tudor and Rodica Sturza

Molecules 2021, 26(13), 3786; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26133786 - 22 Jun 2021

Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3220

Abstract

Recent trends in the food industry combined with novel methods in agriculture could transform rowan into a valuable raw material with potential technological applications. Thus, the aim of this research was to investigate the content of bioactive compounds in its fruits and to assess the color and antioxidant stability of the extracts prepared from such fruits during various thermal treatments and at different pH and ionic strength values. Various spectrophotometric methods, HPLC, and capillary electrophoresis were used to quantify the concentrations of bioactive compounds—polyphenols, carotenoids, organic acids, and to assess antioxidant activity and color. The results show that rowan berries contain circa 1.34–1.47 g/100 g of polyphenols among which include catechin, epicatechin, ferulic acid methyl ester, procyanidin B1, etc.; ca 21.65 mg/100 g of carotenoids including zeaxanthin, β-cryptoxanthin, all-trans-β-carotene, and various organic acids such as malic, citric, and succinic, which result in a high antioxidant activity of 5.8 mmol TE/100 g. Results also showed that antioxidant activity exhibited high stability when the extract was subjected to various thermal treatments, pHs, and ionic strengths, while color was mainly impacted negatively when a temperature of 100 °C was employed. This data confirms the technological potential of this traditional, yet often overlooked species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: Technologies, Characterizations and Applications)

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21 pages, 6727 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Phytochemical Analysis of Vinca L. Species Leaf Extracts Is Correlated with the Antioxidant, Antibacterial, and Antitumor Effects

by Alexandra Ciorîță, Cezara Zăgrean-Tuza, Augustin C. Moț, Rahela Carpa and Marcel Pârvu

Molecules 2021, 26(10), 3040; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26103040 - 19 May 2021

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5185

Abstract

The phytochemical analysis of Vinca minor, V. herbacea, V. major, and V. major var. variegata leaf extracts showed species-dependent antioxidant, antibacterial, and cytotoxic effects correlated with the identified phytoconstituents. Vincamine was present in V. minor, V. major, and V. major var. variegata, while V. minor had the richest alkaloid content, followed by V. herbacea. V. major var. variegata was richest in flavonoids and the highest total phenolic content was found in V. herbacea which also had elevated levels of rutin. Consequently, V. herbacea had the highest antioxidant activity followed by V. major var. variegata. Whereas, the lowest one was of V. major. The V. minor extract showed the most efficient inhibitory effect against both Staphylococcusaureus and E. coli. On the other hand, V. herbacea had a good anti-bacterial potential only against S. aureus, which was most affected at morphological levels, as indicated by scanning electron microscopy. The Vinca extracts acted in a dose-depended manner against HaCaT keratinocytes and A375 melanoma cells and moreover, with effects on the ultrastructure, nitric oxide concentration, and lactate dehydrogenase release. Therefore, the Vinca species could be exploited further for the development of alternative treatments in bacterial infections or as anticancer adjuvants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: Technologies, Characterizations and Applications)

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15 pages, 333 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antioxidant Activity and Chemical Characteristics of Supercritical CO₂ and Water Extracts from Willow and Poplar

by Mateusz Ostolski, Marek Adamczak, Bartosz Brzozowski and Wiesław Wiczkowski

Molecules 2021, 26(3), 545; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26030545 - 21 Jan 2021

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3511

Abstract

Renewable feedstock from perennial industrial crops, including those cultivated on marginal land in a short-rotation coppice system, could be an important contribution to the bioeconomy. The majority of data available on the topic are limited to the production of bioenergy from this type of biomass. According to the concept of bioeconomy, biomass-based bioproducts have priority over energy production. This paper characterizes the chemical composition and antioxidant activity of extracts from bark (b), wood (w) or a mixture of bark and wood (b + w) from Salix purpurea, Salix viminalis and Populus nigra obtained using supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO₂), scCO₂ and water (1%, w/w) or only water. Generally, a high concentration of polyphenols was obtained after extraction with scCO₂ and water, while the lowest concentration was found in extracts obtained with scCO₂. The highest concentration of polyphenols (p < 0.05) was obtained in an extract from P. nigra (b) (502.62 ± 9.86 mg GAE/g dry matter (d.m.)) after extraction with scCO₂ and water, whereas the lowest polyphenol concentration was observed in an scCO₂ extract from S. purpurea (b) (6.02 ± 0.13 mg GAE/g d.m.). The flavonoids were effectively separated by extraction with scCO₂ (0.88–18.37 mg QE/g d.m.). A positive linear relationship between the antioxidant activity determined by DPPH and ABTS assays and the concentration of polyphenols was demonstrated, R² = 0.8377 and R² = 0.9568, respectively. It is most probable that the concentration of flavonoids, rather than the concentration of polyphenols, determines the chelating activity of Fe²⁺. The Fe²⁺-chelating activity of scCO₂ extracts ranged from 75.11% (EC₅₀ = 5.41 mg/cm³, S. purpurea, b + w) to 99.43% (EC₅₀ = 0.85 mg/cm³, P. nigra, b + w). The lowest chelating activity was demonstrated by the extracts obtained with scCO₂ and water (maximum 26.36%, S. purpurea, b + w). In extracts obtained with scCO₂ and water, p-hydroxybenzoic acid (210–428 µg/g), p-coumaric acid (56–281 µg/g), saligenin (142–300 µg/g) and salicortin (16–164 µg/g) were the dominant polyphenols. All of these chemical compounds occurred mainly in the free form. The S. purpurea, S. viminalis and P. nigra biomass proved to be an attractive source of biologically active compounds for various possible applications in food, drugs or cosmetics. These compounds could be extracted using an environmentally friendly method with scCO₂ and water as a co-solvent. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: Technologies, Characterizations and Applications)

10 pages, 1809 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Adapting the Accelerated Solvent Extraction Method for Resin and Rubber Determination in Guayule Using the BÜCHI Speed Extractor

by Juana Rozalén, María de las Mercedes García-Martínez, María Engracia Carrión, Manuel Carmona, Horacio López-Córcoles, Katrina Cornish and Amaya Zalacain

Molecules 2021, 26(1), 183; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules26010183 - 1 Jan 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3215

Abstract

Guayule (Parthenium argentatum Gray) is a promising alternative source to Hevea brasiliensis for the production of natural rubber, which can reach levels of 8–9% under industrialized farming conditions. The most common method for determining rubber concentration is by accelerated solvent extraction (ASE), a technique developed by the Dionex Corporation and almost exclusively performed with the Dionex ASE-200 or 350 systems. Herein, it is sought to apply and adapt the most common methods used in the literature for the Dionex system to another extraction platform, the BÜCHI Speed Extractor E-914. Results showed that using a sand sandwich method to confine the sample in the center and exploiting a larger cell volume (80 mL) for extraction prevents the occurrence of overpressure and problems with clogging. Under optimized conditions, the coefficient of variation was <15% for both resin quantification for samples containing 5.0–15.8% of resin and for rubber quantification for samples with 1.7–10.3% rubber content. The extraction time for resin (2 cycles of 5 min each) was smaller than for rubber (2 cycles of 20 min each). It would be interesting to carry out interlaboratory comparisons to standardize the method at an international level. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: Technologies, Characterizations and Applications)

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15 pages, 2691 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Microwave-Assisted Improved Extraction and Purification of Anticancer Nimbolide from Azadirachta indica (Neem) Leaves

by Panawan Suttiarporn and Vachira Choommongkol

Molecules 2020, 25(12), 2913; https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25122913 - 24 Jun 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4205

Abstract

Nimbolide, a limonoid present in leaves of the neem tree (Azadirachta indica), is an anticancer compound against a panel of human cancer cell lines. The rapid process of extraction and purification of the nimbolide from the leaves of neem tree through microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) coupled with a chromatographic technique was accomplished. The crude with a maximum content of nimbolide could be recovered from neem leaves through MAE. By using three-factors, three-level Box–Behnken design of response surface methodology (RSM), the optimal conditions for nimbolide extraction (R² = 0.9019) were solid/liquid ratio 1:16 g/mL, microwave power 280 W, and extraction time 22 min. The enriched extract was further purified by a preparative thin-layer chromatography (PTLC), where nimbolide was obtained as 0.0336 g (0.67% yield, purity over 98%) with ethyl acetate/hexane = 4:6 in 3.0 h. Structural elucidation was performed through spectroscopic techniques, including FT-IR, ¹H, and ¹³C-NMR. This method was simple and had a good potential for the purification of bioactive compounds from a natural product. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant Extracts: Technologies, Characterizations and Applications)

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