Enzymes-Assisted Extraction of Plants for Sustainable and Functional Applications

Abstract

The scientific community and industrial companies have discovered significant enzyme applications to plant material. This rise imparts to changing consumers’ demands while searching for ‘clean label’ food products, boosting the immune system, uprising resistance to bacterial and fungal diseases, and climate change challenges. First, enzymes were used for enhancing production yield with mild and not hazardous applications. However, enzyme specificity, activity, plant origin and characteristics, ratio, and extraction conditions differ depending on the goal. As a result, researchers have gained interest in enzymes’ ability to cleave specific bonds of macroelements and release bioactive compounds by enhancing value and creating novel derivatives in plant extracts. The extract is enriched with reducing sugars, phenolic content, and peptides by disrupting lignocellulose and releasing compounds from the cell wall and cytosolic. Nonetheless, depolymerizing carbohydrates and using specific enzymes form and release various saccharides lengths. The latest studies show that oligosaccharides released and formed by enzymes have a high potential to be slowly digestible starches (SDS) and possibly be labeled as prebiotics. Additionally, they excel in new technological, organoleptic, and physicochemical properties. Released novel derivatives and phenolic compounds have a significant role in human and animal health and gut-microbiota interactions, affecting many metabolic pathways. The latest studies have contributed to enzyme-modified extracts and products used for functional, fermented products development and sustainable processes: in particular, nanocellulose, nanocrystals, nanoparticles green synthesis with drug delivery, wound healing, and antimicrobial properties. Even so, enzymes’ incorporation into processes has limitations and is regulated by national and international levels.

Effects of Extraction and Evaporation Methods on Physico-Chemical, Functional, and Nutritional Properties of Syrups from Barhi Dates (Phoenix dactylifera L.)

“…Cellulase breaks down insoluble cellulose into shorter chain substances with increasing solubility, which helps soften the plant tissues and increases the juice extraction yield [ 13 ]. In addition, pectinase and cellulase enzymes have been found to improve phenolic content recovery and antioxidant properties of fruit juices by enhancing the release of the trapped bioactive compounds [ 14 ]. The concentration step generally uses the evaporation technique to reduce the moisture content of the extracted juice to comply with the standard specifications [ 15 ].…”

Antimicrobial Activities against Opportunistic Pathogenic Bacteria Using Green Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles in Plant and Lichen Enzyme-Assisted Extracts

“…Moreover, non-starch polysaccharide enzymes (cellulases, xylanases, β-glucanases) with amylolytic enzymes convert long-chain carbohydrates into soluble reducing sugars, resulting in their ability to act as reducing agents under specific conditions [ 20 ]. In general, carbohydrates are the most potent agents disturbing the complex matrix of plant material, which releases bioactive compounds into aqueous extracts [ 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”