Emerging Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE) Techniques as an Innovative Green Technologies for the Effective Extraction of the Active Phytopharmaceuticals

Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) is a process that pools temperature and pressure with liquid solvents to accomplish rapid and efficient extraction of analytes from several matrices. PLE is a more recent extraction technique proposed to obtain bioactive compounds. It uses less solvent, in a shorter period of time, is automated, and involves retaining the sample in an oxygen and light-free environment in contrast to traditional organic solvent extraction. PLE is based on the use of conventional solvent set controlled temperatures and pressures and has been well established for extraction of valuable compounds from natural sources. A major benefit of PLE above conventional solvent extraction methods conducted at atmospheric pressure is that pressurized solvents remain in the liquid state, even above their normal atmospheric pressure boiling points allowing hightemperature. PLE is used for the extraction of many compounds in vegetal oil as lipids and fatty acids owing to its short time extraction. It also can be used in the extraction of minor components, such as anthocyanins, carotenoids, phenols, sterols, phospholipids, tocopherols, free fatty acids, and glycerides, because these compounds may be degraded during long extractions at higher temperatures. In the present study we have highlighted the recent findings associated with the PLE.