Microwave-assisted Extraction of Functional Compounds from Plants: A Review

In recent decades, the scientific community has become interested in improving the extraction of bioactive compounds from plants through new extraction techniques. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) is an innovative and effective method to extract compounds from different plants of agronomic, medicinal, nutritional, or cosmetic interest. This technique is considered environmentally friendly, as it uses non-toxic solvents. In addition, its energy consumption is lower than conventional extraction techniques. Likewise, this extraction avoids the degradation of the compounds, making it a feasible method. For microwave extraction to be efficient, the following parameters must be considered: solvent characteristics, volume, exposure time, temperature, size and characteristics of plant material, power (MHz), and type of equipment. This review focuses on the interactions of various factors involved to achieve a successful extraction process. The optimization and importance of microwave extraction technology in the research of plant bioactive compounds are discussed in this review article.