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Sustainable Extraction Techniques of Bioactive Components in Natural Products

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2023) | Viewed by 39852

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Prof. Dr. Ahmed M. Abd-ElGawad

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Guest Editor

1. Plant Production Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
2. Department of Botany, Faculty of Science, Mansoura University, Mansoura 35516, Egypt
Interests: Plant Ecology; Ecophysiology; Allelopathy; Invasive Plants

Prof. Dr. Giuliano Bonanomi

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Guest Editor

Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy
Interests: plant pathology; soilborne pathogens; botany; ecology; microbiology; soil organic matter dynamics
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Prof. Dr. Abdelsamed I. Elshamy

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Guest Editor

Chemistry of Natural Compounds Department, National Research Centre, 33 El Bohouth St., Dokki, Giza 12622, Egypt
Interests: natural products; chemistry
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Wild organisms including plants, animals, and microorganisms are considered natural factories for the biosynthesis of thousands of bioactive compounds with various biological activities and can be integrated into the treatment of various diseases, controlling weeds as biocides, as well as being used in agricultural, industrial, and pharmaceutical applications. The use of natural bioactive compounds instead of synthetic chemicals fascinates scientists, researchers, and policymakers because they are renewable, degradable, safe, and low toxic. Extractions of bioactive compounds from plants have been regarded as valuable items since ancient times, even by pharaohs. Several techniques of extraction are known, such as maceration, pressing, infusion, decoction, percolation, steam or hydro-distillation, and Soxhlet extraction. However, recent trends in extraction techniques have largely focused on methods that minimize the use of solvents, save energy, and reduce hazards. This is a challenge for intensification and cost-effective production of high-quality extracts as well as to innovate eco-friendly, green, and sustainable extraction techniques. These techniques including microwave, sub- and super-critical fluid processing, ultrasound, pulse electric field, extrusion, mechanochemistry, high pressure, and ohmic, UV and IR heating.

In this Special Issue, we invite investigators to contribute research articles on extraction techniques for bioactive natural products from plants, microbes, and animals, particullary green extraction. Additionally, papers are welcome that focus on the potential bioactivities of extracted natural compounds.

Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

Extraction techniques of bioactive compounds from various natural resources;
Isolation, Identification, and characterization of plant secondary metabolites;
Green extraction;
Eco-friendly extraction techniques;
Biological activities of bioactive compounds;
Phytochemicals;
Marine bioactive components;
In vivo and in vitro biological activities of natural extracts and metabolites;
Mechanism of actions of metabolites in bioassays;
Essential oils and yheir biological potentialities;
Chemical ecology;
Role of secondary compounds in organisms interactions.

Prof. Dr. Ahmed M. Abd-ElGawad
Prof. Dr. Giuliano Bonanomi
Prof. Dr. Abdelsamed I. Elshamy
Guest Editors

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

bioactive compounds
green chemical compounds
extraction techniques
natural resources
essential oil
biological activities

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 453 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Bioactivities and Chemical Compositions of Cinnamomum burmannii Bark Extracts (Lauraceae)

by Prasetyorini Djarot, Yulianita, Novi Fajar Utami, Aditya Mahesa Putra, Yurena Irma Mulya Putri, Sri Melia Muhardianty, Tiara Akasi Suciyani and Asep Syaepulrohman

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1696; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021696 - 16 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3051

Abstract

Cinnamomum burmanni has antifungal and antibacterial properties, including alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids, and essential oil content of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and safrole. This study aims to determine the antibacterial properties against Streptococcus mutans and Staphylococcus aureus, antifungal properties against Candida albicans and Candida tropicalis, antioxidant, and flavonoid content of microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) extracts from C. burmanni bark. This study began with the MAE extraction of C. burmanni, followed by qualitative phytochemical tests on the alkaloids, tannins, flavonoids, saponins, and terpenoid groups. Furthermore, using the UV-Vis spectrophotometry method, a quantitative phytochemical test was performed to determine the levels of flavonoids. The 1,1-diphenyl-2-pikrilhidrazil (DPPH) method was used for the antioxidant test, the agar dilution method for the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), and the paper disc diffusion method for the width of the inhibitory area (LDH). The positive antifungal control was nystatin, while the antibacterial control was amoxicillin, and both negative controls were 1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). The antifungal and antibacterial components were found to be 3% n-hexane extract from the bark of C. burmanni, with an inhibitory area width (IAW) of 13.83 mm. The best antioxidant results were the ethanol extract with a very active category IC₅₀ of 8.533 ppm, 5.90%, and the highest ethanol extract containing flavonoid test results. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Extraction Techniques of Bioactive Components in Natural Products)

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13 pages, 1139 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antifungal and Antiaflatoxigenic Activities of Different Plant Extracts against Aspergillus flavus

by Said I. Behiry, Najwa A. Hamad, Fatimah O. Alotibi, Abdulaziz A. Al-Askar, Amr A. Arishi, Ahmed M. Kenawy, Ibrahim A. Elsamra, Nesrine H. Youssef, Mohsen Mohamed Elsharkawy, Ahmed Abdelkhalek and Ahmed A. Heflish

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12908; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912908 - 10 Oct 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3126

Abstract

In the current study, four organic solvents, including ethanol, methanol, acetone, and diethyl ether, were used to extract turmeric, wheat bran, and taro peel. The efficiency of three different concentrations of each solvent was assessed for their antifungal and anti-mycotoxin production against Aspergillus flavus. The results indicated that 75% ethanolic and 25% methanolic extracts of taro peels and turmeric were active against fungus growth, which showed the smallest fungal dry weight ratios of 1.61 and 2.82, respectively. Furthermore, the 25% ethanolic extract of turmeric showed the best result (90.78%) in inhibiting aflatoxin B₁ production. After 30 days of grain storage, aflatoxin B₁ (AFB₁) production was effectively inhibited, and the average inhibition ratio ranged between 4.46% and 69.01%. Simultaneously, the Topsin fungicide resulted in an inhibition ratio of 143.92%. Taro extract (25% acetone) produced the highest total phenolic content (61.28 mg GAE/g dry extract wt.) and showed an antioxidant capacity of 7.45 μg/mL, followed by turmeric 25% ethanol (49.82 mg GAE/g), which revealed the highest antioxidant capacity (74.16 μg/mL). RT-qPCR analysis indicated that the expression of aflD, aflP, and aflQ (structural genes) and aflR and aflS (regulatory genes) was down-regulated significantly compared to both untreated and Topsin-treated maize grains. Finally, the results showed that all three plant extracts could be used as promising source materials for potential products to control aflatoxin formation, thus creating a safer method for grain storage in the environment than the currently used protective method. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Extraction Techniques of Bioactive Components in Natural Products)

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14 pages, 2240 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antiviral and Antifungal of Ulva fasciata Extract: HPLC Analysis of Polyphenolic Compounds

by Emad H. El-Bilawy, Al-Naji A. Al-Mansori, Fatimah O. Alotibi, Abdulaziz A. Al-Askar, Amr A. Arishi, Islam I. Teiba, Abd El-Naser Sabry, Mohsen Mohamed Elsharkawy, Ahmed A. Heflish, Said I. Behiry and Ahmed Abdelkhalek

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12799; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912799 - 7 Oct 2022

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 2499

Abstract

The increasing usage of chemical control agents, as well as fungicides to manage plant diseases, causes human and environmental health problems. Macroalgae represent a reservoir for a tremendous variety of secondary metabolites that display a wide range of biological activities. However, their anti-phytopathogenic properties are still being studied. The current study was conducted to investigate whether or not the macroalgae Ulva fasciata extract exhibits antifungal and antiviral activities. In this regard, the organic extracts of U. fasciata were tested for their capabilities against tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) and three molecularly identified fungal isolates, Fusarium verticillioides, Alternaria tenuissima, and Botrytis cinerea with accession numbers OP363619, OP363620, and OP363621, respectively. Among the three tested extract concentrations, 100 µg/mL had the best biological activity against B. cinerea and TMV, with 69.26%and 81.25% inhibition rates, respectively. The HPLC analysis of chemical profiling of the extract showed the presence of a number of phenolic and flavonoid compounds widely known to display many biological activities. In this line, the 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid was the highest phenolic compound (12.3 µg/mL) present in the extract, followed by ferulic acid (9.05 µg/mL). The 7-hydroxyflavone (12.45 µg/mL) was the highest flavonoid in the organic extract of U. faciata followed by rutin, which recorded a concentration of 7.62 µg/ mL. The results of this study show that the U. fasciata extract has antiviral and antifungal properties, which makes it a possible source of natural antimicrobial agents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Extraction Techniques of Bioactive Components in Natural Products)

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13 pages, 2294 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Antifungal, Antiviral, and HPLC Analysis of Phenolic and Flavonoid Compounds of Amphiroa anceps Extract

by Emad H. El-Bilawy, Al-Naji A. Al-Mansori, Seham A. Soliman, Fatimah O. Alotibi, Abdulaziz A. Al-Askar, Amr A. Arishi, Abd El-Naser Sabry, Mohsen Mohamed Elsharkawy, Ahmed A. Heflish, Said I. Behiry and Ahmed Abdelkhalek

Sustainability 2022, 14(19), 12253; https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912253 - 27 Sep 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2486

Abstract

The increasing use of chemical control agents and pesticides to prevent plant disease has resulted in several human and environmental health problems. Seaweeds, e.g., Amphiroa anceps extracts, have significant antimicrobial activities against different human pathogens. However, their anti-phytopathogenic activities are still being investigated. In the present investigation, three fungal isolates were isolated from root rot and grey mold symptomatic strawberry plants and were molecularly identified by ITS primers to Fusarium culmorum, Rhizoctonia solani, and Botrytis cinerea with accession numbers MN398396, MN398398, and MN398400, respectively. In addition, the organic extract of the red alga Amphiroa anceps was assessed for its antifungal activity against the three identified fungal isolates and tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) infection. At 100 µg/mL, the A. anceps extract had the best biological activity against R. solani, B. cinerea, and TMV infection, with inhibition rates of 66.67%, 40.61%, and 81.5%, respectively. Contrarily, the A. anceps extract exhibited lower activity against F. culmorum, causing inhibition in the fungal mycelia by only 4.4% at the same concentration. The extract’s HPLC analysis revealed the presence of numerous phenolic compounds, including ellagic acid and gallic acid, which had the highest concentrations of 19.05 and 18.36 µg/mL, respectively. In this line, the phytochemical analysis also showed the presence of flavonoids, with the highest concentration recorded for catechin at 12.45 µg/mL. The obtained results revealed for the first time the effect of the A. anceps extract against the plant fungal and viral pathogens, making the seaweed extract a promising source for natural antimicrobial agents. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Extraction Techniques of Bioactive Components in Natural Products)

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14 pages, 1499 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Essential Oil of Ipomoea carnea: Chemical Profile, Chemometric Analysis, Free Radical Scavenging, and Antibacterial Activities

by Ahmed M. Abd-ElGawad, Abdelsamed I. Elshamy, Abdallah M. Elgorban, Emad M. Hassan, Nouf S. Zaghloul, Salman F. Alamery, Abd El-Nasser G. El Gendy, Khalid M. Elhindi and Yasser A. EI-Amier

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9504; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159504 - 3 Aug 2022

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2969

Abstract

Essential oils (EOs) have been reported as a promising group of naturally extracted compounds due to their various reported biological activities. Ipomoea carnea is a widely distributed plant with many traditional uses worldwide. However, although the EOs of various Ipomea species have been reported, I. carnea remains poorly studied. Therefore, the present investigation aimed to characterize the chemical profile of the EO of I. carnea growing in Egypt via gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (GC-MS) and correlate its profile with other reported species via chemometric analysis using agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) and principal component analysis (PCA). In addition, the aim was to determine the antioxidant and antibacterial activities of the extracted EO. Depending on the GC-MS analysis, 31 compounds were identified, mainly terpenes (94.82), with traces of carotenoid and apocarotenoid-derived compounds. The major compounds were tau-cadinol (35.68%), α-cadinol (26.76%), spathulenol (8.11%), and caryophyllene oxide (6.56%), which were assigned as major compounds. The chemometric studies showed that the Egyptian ecospecies of I. carnea differs in chemical profile from those growing in Brazil, as well as those reported for other Ipomea species. The EO showed significant DPPH and ABTS radical scavenging abilities, with IC₅₀ values of 33.69 and 40.86 mg L⁻¹, respectively. Additionally, the I. carnea EO displayed significant inhibition against the growth of all tested bacterial strains, where it showed an MIC range of 82–1442 mg mL⁻¹. Based on the current results, the I. carnea EO, particularly the major identified compounds, could be used as a potential eco-friendly green resource for antioxidant and antimicrobial activities. Therefore, further study is recommended to evaluate the biological significance of the main compounds, either individually or in combination, as well as assess their modes of action and safety. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Extraction Techniques of Bioactive Components in Natural Products)

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15 pages, 2049 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Steam Distillation for Essential Oil Extraction: An Evaluation of Technological Advances Based on an Analysis of Patent Documents

by Carlos Alberto Machado, Fabricia Oliveira Oliveira, Matheus Antônio de Andrade, Katharine Valéria Saraiva Hodel, Herman Lepikson and Bruna Aparecida Souza Machado

Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 7119; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14127119 - 10 Jun 2022

Cited by 27 | Viewed by 22603

Abstract

The most-used method for essential oil extraction is steam distillation due to its simplicity and low investment requirements. Due to the importance of this extractive method, technological updates represent an immense opportunity for improving this component of essential oil production. In order to evaluate how such updates have been applied to essential oil production, in this study, we conducted a technological prospection. A total of 490 patent documents were retrieved and indicators were evaluated, which included publication trends, main applicants and inventors of the prospected technologies, main depositing countries and potential markets for the inventions, and classification codes assigned to the patent documents. The results indicated that steam distillation is used by different sectors and that it is an important industrial process that has been growing in recent years. In terms of associated technological updates, we observed that only some patent documents referred to the application of technological updates, indicating that processes could still be investigated and incorporated into the technology. Thus, the advancement of studies to improve this process could contribute even more to its visible growth, increasing its application potential and process yield. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Extraction Techniques of Bioactive Components in Natural Products)

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11 pages, 256 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Compost and Titanium Dioxide Application on the Vegetative Yield and Essential Oil Composition of Coriander

by Rania M. R. Khater, Reham M. Sabry, Luisa Pistelli, Ahmed M. Abd-ElGawad, Walid Soufan and Abdel Nasser G. El-Gendy

Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 322; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010322 - 29 Dec 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1970

Abstract

Coriander is one of the most popular and intensely used spices owing to its multipurpose uses worldwide. It is mainly cultivated for the production of its dried seed and fresh leaves. The present study aimed to evaluate the application of compost and foliar spraying of TiO₂ on the yield and essential oil composition of coriander. Two field experiments were conducted during two successive seasons; after that, the yield parameters were determined, and the essential oil of the seeds was extracted and analyzed via gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results indicated that coriander growths at both years were significantly affected by compost application and foliar application of TiO₂, and a significant interaction of these two factors also occurred. Compost application at 50 m³ caused significant increments of 55% and 46% in umbels number and 75% and 64% in seed yield in the first and second season, respectively, compared with control. The application of compost to the coriander plant significantly influenced oil percentage and oil yield per ha. The maximum oil percent was recorded in control plants. Foliar application of TiO₂ resulted in significant improvement in plant height, number of umbels, and seed yield of coriander as compared with control and reached their maximum values at 6 g L⁻¹ compared with the control; foliar application of TiO₂ at 2 g L⁻¹ enhanced numbers of umbels by 22% with no significant differences between 2, 4, and 6 g L⁻¹ treatments in the first season and by 24, 33, and 48% in the second season. Increases in seed yield accounted for 34, 43, and 64% in the first season and 21, 36, and 45% in the second season due to titanium dioxide application of 2, 4, and 6 g L⁻¹, respectively. The maximum content of linalool (87.61%) and minimum content of estragole (0.7%) was recorded at 4 g L⁻¹ titanium dioxide with no compost. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Extraction Techniques of Bioactive Components in Natural Products)

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