Deep Eutectic Solvent-Assisted Synergistic Technologies for the Extraction of Natural Bioactive Compounds: Enhancement Mechanisms, Application Advances, and Challenges

Imagine a solvent that's green, tunable, and gentle—but too thick to flow. Now imagine fixing that with sound waves, microwaves, or enzymes.

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are the new darlings of green chemistry—less toxic than traditional solvents and highly customizable. But their high viscosity is a bottleneck, slowing down mass transfer and extraction efficiency. That's where auxiliary technologies come in, like a turbocharger for a sluggish engine.

This review breaks new ground by uniting DESs with ultrasound, microwave, and enzymatic assistance into one cohesive framework—not just one technique in isolation. It compares how each method enhances extraction, from reducing viscosity to disrupting cell walls and boosting biocatalytic compatibility. The mechanisms are dissected at the molecular level, focusing on hydrogen bonding, van der Waals forces, and electrostatic interactions that guide the choice of hydrogen bond acceptors and donors.

Practical applications shine through recent advances in extracting polyphenols, alkaloids, terpenoids, and polysaccharides. Yet, the road to industrial adoption is rocky: solvent recovery, equipment adaptation for viscous media, and regulatory hurdles remain. The future points toward intelligent solvent design and continuous processing, blending molecular insights with engineering pragmatism for a comprehensive optimization framework.

Key Points

• First unified review of DES with multiple auxiliary technologies.
• Molecular interactions guide solvent design for extraction.
• Industrial scale-up faces recovery, equipment, and regulatory hurdles.