Microwave-assisted Extraction for Bioactive Compounds

Microwave-assisted extraction of bioactive compounds is a research area of extreme interest in several industry fields (e.g., food, cosmetic, perfumery, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical). Using microwaves, full reproducible extractions can be accomplished in seconds or minutes with high reproducibility, reducing solvents and energy consumption, simplifying manipulation and work-up, giving higher products purity, and eliminating post-treatment of waste water. This book explores the latest innovations of microwave extraction in terms of processes and products. This book will be of interest to academia, and research and industry that is looking for alternative green processes or attempting to diversify into new products such as essential oils, aromas, fat and oils, alkaloids, pigments, anti-oxidants, and other bioactive compounds.Farid Chemat, ProfessorUniversité d'Avignon et des Pays du Vaucluse, INRA, Avignon, FranceChemat's main research interests are focused on innovative and sustainable extraction techniques (especially microwave, ultrasound and green solvents) for food, pharmaceutical and cosmetic applications. He is coordinator of a new group named France Eco-Extraction dealing with international dissemination of research and education on green extraction technologies.Giancarlo Cravotto, ProfessorDipartimento di Scienza e Tecnologia del Farmaco, University of Turin, ItalyCravotto's research activity has been centered on pharmacologically active natural products (isolation, structural elucidation, total synthesis and chemical modification). These studies have paved the road to new synthetic procedures and extraction techniques, particularly in the fields of ultrasound- and microwave-assisted protocols and flow-chemistry.