The Use of Ionic Liquids and Deep Eutectic Solvents in the Extraction of Phytochemicals with Bioactive Properties: A Review

What if the greenest way to unlock nature's medicine cabinet isn't a solvent at all, but a pressure shift? A new review reveals how supercritical CO2 outperforms its rivals in pulling bioactive phenolics from a medicinal plant's roots.

Forget harsh chemicals—green extraction is the new frontier, and a recent study puts three methods head-to-head on the roots of Rheum cordatum Losinsk. Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE), subcritical ethanol (Sbc-EtOH), and supercritical CO2 (ScCO2) were all tested, with pressures, solvents, and times tweaked to find the sweet spot for bioactive compounds. The goal: maximize yield without sacrificing the biological punch.

Key Points

• ScCO2 extracted most of 53 phenolic compounds.
• Lower pressure yielded more phenolics in ScCO2.
• ScCO2-100 showed strong antimicrobial MIC 31.25–250 µg/mL.