Green extraction of anti-aging polyphenols

Polyphenols have been reported as being useful for well-being and longevity, and in reducing the risk of aging-related chronic diseases [1]. Polyphenols are a type of micronutrient found in plant foods like fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, nuts, red wine, dark chocolate, tea, coffee, spices, and herbs. There are over 8000 different types of polyphenols, each with their own linked health benefits and uses. The more colour and diversity we introduce into our diet, the more antioxidants, and polyphenols we will obtain, and thus, they may support aging in a natural and healthy way. For these reasons, daily consumption of a controlled amount of colourful fresh fruit, vegetables or supplements is highly recommended. Polyphenol supplements have been around for a while now, offering people the advantage of getting a quick, easy, and consistent dose of polyphenols. Polyphenol supplements may contain concentrated polyphenols, but they do not contain the same nutrients, e.g., fibre, starch, sugar, vitamins, and minerals that polyphenol-rich foods do. Current trends in extraction techniques have largely focused on green solvents. Recently, more efficient green extraction methods, such as subcritical water extraction (SWE) and microwave assisted extraction (MAE) have been used for the isolation of polyphenols from various plants [2-4]. These extraction techniques are not only cheaper and faster, but being considered eco-friendly, they also enable these products to claim a green label. We have recently extracted polyphenols from different plant materials using SWE and MAE technologies at both lab and industrial scale. Various polyphenols (hesperetin, hesperidin, naringin, naringenin, phlorizin, phloretin, thymol, carvacrol) were extracted from citrus peels, apple/cherry barks, origanum and thymbra herbs using green extraction technologies.

KEYWORDS: Polyphenols, Green extraction, Subcritical water extraction, Microwave assisted extraction
REFERENCES:
1. Luo, J., Si, H., Jia, Z., Liu, D. Dietary anti-aging polyphenols and potential mechanisms, Antioxidants, (2021), 10, 283-303.
2. Özel, M.Z., Gogus, F., Lewis, A.C. Subcritical water extraction of essential oils from Thymbra spicata. Food Chemistry, (2003), 82 (3): 381-386.
3. Özel, M.Z., Kaymaz, H. Superheated water extraction, steam distillation and Soxhlet extraction of essential oils of Origanum onites. Analytical and Bioanalytical Chemistry, (2004), 379, 1127-1133.
4. Mahato, N., Sinha, M., Sharma, K., Koteswararao, R., Cho, M.H. Modern Extraction and Purification Techniques for Obtaining High Purity Food-Grade Bioactive Compounds and Value-Added Co-Products from Citrus Wastes. Foods, (2019), 8, 523-604.