Extraction and encapsulation of bioactive compounds: A review

Abstract

AbstractThe purposes of this article are to address the different bioactive compounds present in plant matrices, emphasizing the importance in choosing the extraction method in the yield and quality of extracted compounds, using techniques to determine antioxidant activity. As well as to expose the main mathematical models used in the kinetic study for process optimization and the influence of encapsulation on the conservation of bioactive compounds. Bioactive compounds are chemical molecules that have medicinal properties, acting in the prevention of diseases. The wide variety of bioactive compounds present in plants determines their characteristics, and the different combinations of these phytochemicals confer the particularities of each matrix. The extraction of compounds is extremely important, due to their industrial applications, being widely used in the production of food, supplements, cosmetics, and medicines, as ingredients or additives of these products. It was observed that new technologies are able to improve extraction efficiency obtaining higher yields and antioxidant activity than conventional methods. To obtain the extraction mechanism, aiming at optimizing time, several empirical kinetic models are used. The employability of mathematical models helps in the kinetic extraction profile, verifying the extraction profile of antioxidant compounds. Among these models, Hyperbolic was the one that best adapted to the studies performed. Then, for the preservation of the bioactive compounds obtained in the extraction process, encapsulation is carried out. This process prevents the degradation of compounds caused by external conditions such as light, heat, humidity, and increase in desirable properties, decreasing the evaporation of trapped active agents.