The use of green solvents in the extraction of bioactive compounds Chapter uri icon

abstract

  • Bioactive compounds term is used to refer to any substance that offers a biological activity in benefit of either nutrition or general human health. Extraction of bioactive compounds of different plant sources has been carried out since ancient times by using common solvents, based on the polarity difference and selectivity on any particular compound. For this, conventional techniques have been applied to solid-solid or liquidliquid extraction, using reflux and heating, as the case of Soxhlet extraction. These methods represents a high risk on both human health and environmental pollution. For this reason, at present, the green solvents are preferred to obtain compounds of interest, as well as the use of alternative technologies such as microwave radiation and ultrasound. In this chapter, the extraction of bioactive compounds mediated by green solvents will be addressed, as well as their main applications and potential risks to human health. © 2017 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved.

publication date

  • 2017-01-01