Abstract
Since solvents of petroleum origin are now strictly regulated worldwide, there is a growing demand for using greener, bio-based and renewable solvents for extraction, purification and formulation of natural and food products. The ideal alternative solvents are non-volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that have high dissolving power and flash point, together with low toxicity and less environmental impact. They should be obtained from renewable resources at a reasonable price and be easy to recycle. Based on the principles of Green Chemistry and Green Engineering, vegetable oils could become an ideal alternative solvent to extract compounds for purification, enrichment, or even pollution remediation. This review presents an overview of vegetable oils as solvents enriched with various bioactive compounds from natural resources, as well as the relationship between dissolving power of non-polar and polar bioactive components with the function of fatty acids and/or lipid classes in vegetable oils, and other minor components. A focus on simulation of solvent-solute interactions and a discussion of polar paradox theory propose a mechanism explaining the phenomena of dissolving polar and non-polar bioactive components in vegetable oils as green solvents with variable polarity.
Highlights
Since solvents of petroleum origin are strictly regulated worldwide, there is a growing demand for using greener, bio-based and renewable solvents for extraction, purification and formulation of natural and food products
Alternative solvents from renewable resources for extraction, purification and formulation of natural and food products have attracted a lot of attention in recent years
This review gives an overview about the use of different vegetable oils as solvents in the extraction of natural products, preparation of enriched oils with various bioactive compounds from natural sources and formulation of products with applications in food and cosmetic industries
Summary
At the beginning of human civilization, animal fats like butter produced from milk of horses, goats, sheep and cattle were probably used instead of vegetable oils before the discovery of oil pressing and extraction from olives or seeds afterwards [1]. Ancient Egyptians firstly produced infusions of medicinal or aromatic plants in vegetable oils as solvents for therapeutic, nutritional, aesthetic and spiritual purposes. Recorded pictorial documents have pointed that edible vegetable oils were used as lubricating liquids as well by Egyptian pyramid builders when rolling large pieces of rocks on wooden rollers [6] Other ancestors such as those from ancient Greece, where wild olives were probably native, had mastered infusion of olive oils with flowers or herbs for beauty and medical treatments. The fats used in this out-dated method were superseded extensively by petroleum-based solvents (e.g., hexane, benzene, etc.) in the 19th century In addition to those mentioned above, Asians, especially the Chinese, have made remarkable contributions to the use of animal fats and vegetable oils. The restudy of vegetable oils as alternative solvents in the 21st century will prompt the development of efficient strategies for their promising future applications such as extraction, purification and formulation
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