Comparison of microwave, ultrasonic and conventional techniques for extraction of bioactive compounds from olive leaves (Olea europaea L.)

Can we capture nature's health-boosting secrets without harming the planet in the process? As consumer demand for natural ingredients surges, the race is on to refine how we extract these valuable compounds from everyday biomass.

The quest for new natural ingredients to benefit human health is a defining trend of our time. Valuable bioactive compounds hide within plants, food by-products, seaweeds, and microalgae, waiting to be unlocked. Turning these natural matrices into useful products requires methods that respect both consumer desires and the health of our planet.

Today, the valorization of food by-products using environmentally friendly techniques is a blazing hot research topic. Among the most promising tools in this green revolution are compressed fluids-based extraction techniques, including pressurized liquid extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, and gas-expanded liquids.

This work updates a distinguished series of reviews, capturing the most significant methodological advances from 2019 to the present. By examining how these advanced extraction techniques recover bioactive compounds, researchers continue to prove that sustainable extraction methods are still far from reaching their full potential.

Key Points

• High consumer demand drives the search for natural bioactives.
• Compressed fluids offer immense potential for green extraction.
• Review covers significant advances from 2019 to present.