Cold Plasma-Assisted Extraction of Phytochemicals: A Review

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Green Chemistry
• Analytical Chemistry

Background:

• Growing interest in bioactive plant compounds for health benefits and disease prevention.
• Conventional extraction methods face challenges with toxic solvents and high temperatures.
• Need for sustainable and environmentally friendly extraction techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the potential and challenges of using cold plasma (CP) for phytochemical extraction.
• To provide an overview of current research and future insights on CP in this field.
• To analyze the scientific literature using bibliometric methods.

Main Methods:

• Bibliometric analysis using VOSviewer software (v. 1.6.18).
• Review of scientific literature on cold plasma extraction of phytochemicals.
• Analysis of research trends and quantitative data on publications.

Main Results:

• Significant increase in scientific studies on CP extraction in recent years.
• Cold plasma generally increases the yield of essential oils and polyphenols.
• Mild process conditions and nitrogen as working gas optimize polyphenol yield and bioactivity.

Conclusions:

• Cold plasma is a promising green extraction technology for bioactive compounds.
• Process parameters like intensity, time, and gas type influence phytoextract composition and properties.
• Further research is needed to optimize conditions and understand plasma-plant interactions for industrial application.