Phenolic Compound Extraction and Analysis in Natural Products
Summary
Phenolic compounds are a diverse class of plant secondary metabolites defined by hydroxylated aromatic rings and recognised for their antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activities. Extraction of these molecules typically employs organic solvents such as ethanol, methanol or acetone, often enhanced by intensification techniques including ultrasound, microwave irradiation and high-pressure processing. Subsequent purification via liquid–liquid extraction or solid-phase extraction removes interfering substances and concentrates target analytes. Quantification and structural elucidation draw upon spectrophotometric assays for total phenolic content, chromatographic separations (HPLC, UHPLC) and hyphenated platforms combining chromatography with mass spectrometry or nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Recent strides in green chemistry have introduced natural deep eutectic solvents, which offer sustainable and tunable media for selective extraction. In parallel, multivariate statistical analysis has become integral to interpreting complex datasets, enabling chemotyping, authentication and traceability of botanical sources. These methodological advances support applications across food science, pharmacognosy, cosmetics and environmental monitoring, underscoring the global importance of rigorous, eco-friendly approaches to phenolic compound research.
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Phenolic Compound Extraction and Analysis in Natural Products publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in phenolic compound extraction and analysis in natural products across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Phenolic compound: A plant-derived molecule characterised by one or more hydroxyl groups attached to an aromatic ring.
Solid-phase extraction (SPE): A purification technique using a solid adsorbent to isolate and concentrate analytes from liquid samples.
Natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES): A green solvent composed of natural constituents that form eutectic mixtures with enhanced solvation properties.
Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC): An advanced form of liquid chromatography operating at high pressure to achieve rapid, high-resolution separations.
Multivariate analysis: A set of statistical methods used to interpret and visualise complex datasets by examining multiple variables simultaneously.
References
- Application of Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents in the Extraction of Quercetin from Vegetables. Molecules (2019).
- Development and Optimization of an UPLC‐QTOF‐MS/MS Method Based on an In‐Source Collision Induced Dissociation Approach for Comprehensive Discrimination of Chlorogenic Acids Isomers from Momordica Plant Species. Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry (2014).
- Recent, advanced sample pretreatments and analytical methods for flavonoids determination in different samples. TrAC Trends in Analytical Chemistry (2021).
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