Extraction of essential oils from Mentha spicata L. ( Labiatae) via optimized supercritical carbon dioxide process

Sustainable strategies for using natural extracts in smart food packaging

The growing demand for sustainable and eco-friendly food packaging has prompted research on innovative solutions to environmental and consumer health issues. To enhance the properties of smart packaging, the incorporation of bioactive compounds derived from various natural sources has attracted considerable interest because of their functional properties, including antioxidant and antimicrobial effects. However, extracting these compounds from natural sources poses challenges because of their complex chemical structures and low concentrations. Traditional extraction methods are often environmentally harmful, expensive and time-consuming. Thus, green extraction techniques have emerged as promising alternatives, offering sustainable and eco-friendly approaches that minimise the use of hazardous solvents and reduce environmental impact. This review explores cutting-edge research on the green extraction of bioactive compounds and their incorporation into smart packaging systems in the last 10 years. Then, an overview of bioactive compounds, green extraction techniques, integrated techniques, green extraction solvents and their application in smart packaging was provided, and the impact of bioactive compounds incorporated in smart packaging on the shelf lives of food products was explored. Furthermore, it highlights the challenges and opportunities within this field and presents recommendations for future research, aiming to contribute to the advancement of sustainable and efficient smart packaging solutions.

Natural products in cosmetics

The global cosmetics market reached US$500 billion in 2017 and is expected to exceed US$800 billion by 2023, at around a 7% annual growth rate. The cosmetics industry is emerging as one of the fastest-growing industries of the past decade. Data shows that the Chinese cosmetics market was US$60 billion in 2021. It is expected to be the world's number one consumer cosmetics market by 2050, with a size of approximately US$450 billion. The influence of social media and the internet has raised awareness of the risks associated with the usage of many chemicals in cosmetics and the health benefits of natural products derived from plants and other natural resources. As a result, the cosmetic industry is now paying more attention to natural products. The present review focus on the possible applications of natural products from various biological sources in skin care cosmetics, including topical care products, fragrances, moisturizers, UV protective, and anti-wrinkle products. In addition, the mechanisms of targets for evaluation of active ingredients in cosmetics and the possible benefits of these bioactive compounds in rejuvenation and health, and their potential role in cosmetics are also discussed.

The traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of spearmint (Mentha spicata L.): A review

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGY RELEVANCE

Mentha spicata L. (Lamiaceae), commonly called Spearmint, is wildly cultivated worldwide for its remarkable aroma and commercial value. In addition to traditional foods flavouring agent, M. spicata is well known for its traditional medicinal uses, particularly for the treatment of cold, cough, asthma, fever, obesity, jaundice and digestive problems.

AIM OF THE REVIEW

This review aims to critically appraise scientific literature regarding the traditional uses, bioactive chemical constituents and pharmacological activities of M. spicata.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A review of the literature information on M. spicata was searched from scientific electronic search databases (Google Scholar, PubMed, Web of Science, ACS, Science Direct, Taylor and Francis, Wiley, Springer and SCOPUS. Structures for secondary metabolites were confirmed using PubChem and ChemSpider.

RESULTS

The studies conducted on either crude extracts, essential oil or isolated pure compounds from M. spicata had reported a varied range of biological effects including antibacterial, antifungal, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory, larvicidal activity, antigenotoxic potential and antiandrogenic activities. Phytochemical analysis of various parts of M. spicata revealed 35 chemical constituents, belonging to phenolic acids, flavonoids and lignans.

CONCLUSION

The review finding indicates that the pharmacological properties of M. spicata supported its traditional uses. The essential oils and extracts showed remarkable antimicrobial, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities. However, more studies, especially in vivo experiments and clinical trials of the human to evaluate cellular and molecular mechanisms based pharmacological, bioactive effectiveness and safety investigation, should be undertaken in the future to provide stronger scientific proof for their traditional medicinal properties.

Fleeting Beauty-The World of Plant Fragrances and Their Application

This article is devoted to some aspects of the fragrant substances of plant origin applied in the food industry and perfumery as well. Since antiquity many extractive techniques have been developed to obtain essential oils. Some of them are still applied, but new ones, like microwave or ultrasound-assisted extractions, are more and more popular and they save time and cost. Independently of the procedure, the resulting essential oils are the source of many so-called isolates. These can be applied as food additives, medicines, or can be used as starting materials for organic synthesis. Some substances exist in very small amounts in plant material so the extraction is not economically profitable but, after their chemical structures were established and synthetic procedures were developed, in some cases they are prepared on an industrial scale. The substances described below are only a small fraction of the 2000–3000 fragrant molecules used to make our life more enjoyable, either in food or perfumes. Additionally, a few examples of allelopathic fragrant compounds, present in their natural state, will be denoted and some of their biocidal features will be mentioned as an arising “green” knowledge in agriculture.

Extraction of Essential Oils from Medicinal Plants and their Utilization as Food Antioxidants

BACKGROUND

The use of essential oils is receiving increasing attention worldwide, as these oils are good sources of several bioactive compounds. Nowadays essential oils are preferred over synthetic preservatives thanks to their antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Several studies highlight the beneficial effect of essential oils extracted from medicinal plants to cure human diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, or obesity. However, to preserve their bioactivity, the use of appropriate extraction technologies is required.

METHODS

The present review aims to describe the studies published so far on the essential oils focusing on their sources and chemical composition, the technologies used for their recovery and their application as antioxidants in food products.

RESULTS

The review has been structured in three parts. In the first part, the main compounds present in essential oils extracted from medicinal plants have been listed and described. In the second part, the most important technologies used for extraction and distillation, have been presented. In detail, conventional methods have been described and compared with innovative and green technologies. Finally, in the last part, the studies related to the application of essential oils as antioxidants in food products have been reviewed and the main findings discussed in detail.

CONCLUSION

In summary, an overview of the aforementioned subjects is presented by discussing the results of the most recent published studies.

Recent Advances in Supercritical Fluid Extraction of Natural Bioactive Compounds from Natural Plant Materials

In this review, recent advances in greener technology for extracting natural bioactive components from plant origin sources are discussed. Bioactive compounds of plant origin have been defined as natural chemical compounds present in small amounts in plants. Researchers have shown interest in extracting bioactive compounds because of their human health benefits and characteristics of being eco-friendly and generally recognized as safe. Various new extraction methods and conventional extraction methods have been developed, however, until now, no unique approach has been presented as a benchmark for extracting natural bioactive compounds from plants. The selectivity and productivity of traditional and modern extraction techniques generally depend on selecting the critical input parameters, knowing the nature of plant-based samples, the structure of bioactive compounds, and good scientific skills. This work aims to discuss the recent advances in supercritical fluid extraction techniques, especially supercritical carbon dioxide, along with the fundamental principles for extracting bioactive compounds from natural plant materials such as herbs, spices, aromatic and medicinal plants.

The effect of pressure on the characteristics of supercritical carbon dioxide extracts from Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta

Chemists and industrialists are continuously attempting to develop greener and more environmentally benign chemical processes to extract essential oils and bioactive metabolites of high purity, finding various applications in cosmetics, detergents, nutraceuticals and pharmaceuticals. An increase preferenced for natural products over synthetic ones has made supercritical fluid technology a primary alternative for the generation of high-value bioactive ingredients. This effective technique requires only moderate temperatures, eliminates clean-up steps and avoids the use of harmful organic solvents. In this context, our study was focused on the chemical analysis of Calamintha nepeta subsp. nepeta aromatic extracts obtained with supercritical carbon dioxide. The effect of different operating conditions on the capacity of the lipophilic solvent to extract the targeted volatile components was also studied. The process was carried out at a fairly low constant temperature of 40°C, and with varying the pressure from 90 to 300 bar. The chemical composition of the extracts was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy. The results showed that the composition pattern, the concentrations of individual components and the quality of the extractable analytes were affected by pressure increase. The extraction yields varied from 0.73 to 1.21 wt% at 90 and 300 bar, respectively.

Colorimetric, electroanalytical and theoretical evaluation of the antioxidant activity of Syzygium aromaticum L., Origanum vulgare L., Mentha spicata L. and Eremanthus erythropappus M. essential oils, and their major constituents

Antioxidant mechanism of essential oils and their major constituents, and the synergism between them.