INNOVATIONS IN EXTRACTION, ISOLATION, AND IDENTIFICATION TECHNOLOGIES FOR PLANT SECONDARY METABOLITES

The extraction, isolation, and identification of plant secondary metabolites represent fundamental steps in natural product research and drug discovery. Traditional extraction methods such as maceration and Soxhlet extraction, while widely employed, are associated with prolonged processing times, high solvent consumption, thermal degradation of thermolabile compounds, and significant environmental burden. This review critically examines recent innovations in green extraction technologies including Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction (UAE), Microwave-Assisted Extraction (MAE), Supercritical Fluid Extraction (SFE), and Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE), which offer enhanced efficiency, reduced solvent usage, and improved selectivity. Furthermore, this review explores advanced hyphenated chromatographic-mass spectrometric techniques including LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, and HPLC-DAD-MS that enable comprehensive profiling of complex alkaloids, terpenoids, and phenolics. The integration of extraction and analytical platforms represents a paradigm shift toward streamlined, high-throughput natural product analysis. Despite significant progress, challenges including matrix interference, scalability limitations, and high operational costs persist. This review provides a comprehensive overview of these technologies, critically evaluates their applications and limitations, and identifies emerging trends including green solvent development, microextraction techniques, and process optimization strategies.