Microbial maceration: a sustainable approach for phytochemical extraction

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Biotechnology
• Food Science

Background:

• Lifestyle changes have increased disease incidence, driving demand for nutrient-rich foods containing phytochemicals.
• Phytochemicals, plant-derived secondary metabolites, positively impact human health when consumed.
• Various extraction technologies exist, but commercial viability depends on efficiency, time, and cost.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent findings on microbial maceration for phytochemical extraction.
• To highlight microbial maceration as a viable, cost-effective, and efficient extraction method.
• To identify research gaps in scale-up and toxicological analysis for industrial application.

Main Methods:

• Review of scientific literature on microbial maceration techniques.
• Analysis of studies utilizing microbial maceration for extracting phytochemicals from diverse plant substrates and wastes.
• Evaluation of factors influencing extraction efficiency, cost, and safety.

Main Results:

• Microbial maceration is identified as an energy-efficient, less hazardous, and high-extraction rate approach.
• The technique has been successfully applied to various plant materials like legumes, cereals, pulses, fruits, and vegetables.
• Increased phytochemical extraction efficiency has been reported using this method.

Conclusions:

• Microbial maceration presents a promising, sustainable method for phytochemical extraction from plant sources and agricultural waste.
• Further research is crucial for scale-up studies and the comprehensive analysis of microbial metabolites to ensure safety for commercialization.
• This method holds potential for enhancing the production of functional foods and nutraceuticals.