Deep
eutectic solvents (DES) hold promising potential in the selective
purification of bioactive molecules from various complex sources.
Although they are increasingly considered as a biocompatible extraction
medium, adding the task-specific functionality, which makes DES distinctive
for the selective extraction of compounds, requires appropriate tailoring
of their physical properties. This critical review investigates the
influential physical properties of deep eutectic solvents and their
effect on various sustainable extraction methodsincluding
both solid–liquid and liquid–liquidfor the separation
of nutraceuticals. Various methods by which DES are employed as solvents,
cosolvents, or as adjuvants in different extraction systems are compared
in terms of their efficiency and selectivity. Furthermore, the correspondence
between the type of DES and the nature of target nutraceuticals to
be extracted is also discussed. The Review highlights the key achievements
and future prospects of employing DES along with the lacunae in the
current investigations and proposed various approaches for sustainable
applications.