Importance and extraction techniques of functional components

Abstract

For a healthy lifestyle, functional food plays a specific role to satisfy hunger and to provide necessary nutrients. Phytochemicals are non-nutrient bioactive components that are primarily responsible for scavenging toxic radicals after oxidative stress by generating antioxidants, the main cause of most chronic diseases. Bioactive/functional components are extra nutritional constituents that typically occur in small quantities in foods. They are being intensively studied to evaluate the effects on health. These compounds vary widely in chemical structure and function and are grouped accordingly. Phenolic compounds, including their subcategory, flavonoids, are present in all plants and have been studied extensively in cereals, legumes, nuts, olive oil, vegetables, fruits, tea, and red wine. Recently, the term “phytochemical” has been used to distinguish plant chemicals that do not meet the classical definition of “essential nutrients.” Some phytochemicals produce activity in biological systems, including humans, hence, the term “bioactive phytochemicals.” Regardless of the source, bioactive compounds must be obtained (isolated or extract) from some extraction techniques. They are conventionally solvent-extracted, considering important aspects such as solvent-compound affinity, extraction time, and temperature. However, emerging technologies such as ultrasound, pulsed electric field, enzymatic digestion, extrusion, microwave, ohmic heating, and supercritical fluids are increasingly used due to greater sustainability and efficiency. The information on the mechanistic approach of natural products along with their chemistry is key element for optimizing new solutions for the market demand. This chapter briefly addresses the importance of bioactive compounds and their extraction techniques.