Potential of plant bioactives’ utilization in value- added products

Recently, bioactive molecules (BAM) from plant- based sources have gained interest of both consumers and scientific community due to the spreading knowledge of their health beneficial properties. Fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices have shown to be a source of various bioactives. Furthermore, food industry produces a significant amount of waste rich in BAM which can be revalorized for application in food and nutraceutical industry. Generally, extraction method is the first and the most crucial step in the research and utilization of bioactives. Recent studies emphasize the advantages of “green” extraction techniques for BAM isolation versus conventional ones. New technologies include microwave-assisted, ultrasound-assisted, enzyme- assisted, pressurized liquid extraction, pulsed electric field extraction, supercritical-fluid extraction, etc. Although based on different mechanisms, all these techniques have similar advantages, mainly enhancement of the extraction yield, shortening of the extraction time, reduced solvent consumption and minimizing the degradation of thermosensitive compounds. Another important segment in bioactives’ utilization is their stability. Most of the plant BAM are prone to degradation due to the exposure to light, oxygen and elevated temperatures, which has negative impact on their applicability in food industry as can significantly decrease their bioactivity. One of the most reliable methods for protecting the bioactives is encapsulation. Additionally, encapsulation provides controlled delivery to the target place in organism and protection in the GI tract and has been reported to increase the bioavailability of plant BAM. Furthermore, encapsulated BAM are easier to incorporate into food matrix which is especially important for lipophilic compounds. Various encapsulation techniques have been developed, such as spray drying, freeze drying, extrusion, ionic gelation, coacervation, liposomes, molecular inclusion, etc. The selection of the proper procedure depends upon the properties of the BAM to be encapsulated and the final purpose and designation place of the product.