Advanced Extraction Technologies for Food Bioactives: Process Optimization, Nutritional Integrity, and Industrial Scale-Up

The recovery of bioactive compounds from food matrices and agri-food processing by-products is a cornerstone of sustainable food chemistry and circular bioeconomy initiatives. While green chemistry principles have driven rapid adoption of alternative extraction technologies, from supercritical fluids and pressurized solvents to ultrasound, microwave, and designer solvent systems, a critical bottleneck persists: the translation of laboratory-scale proof-of-concept into robust, economically viable industrial operations. Too often, advances in extraction science remain confined to bench-scale studies, with insufficient attention to process kinetics, energy efficiency, mass balance, and the economic realities of industrial adoption.Alongside this engineering gap, the field continues to grapple with fundamental questions of chemical selectivity and nutritional integrity. Advanced extraction platforms offer unique opportunities to isolate thermolabile, structurally complex bioactives with minimal degradation. Realizing this potential requires systematic investigation of how process parameters govern mass transfer, yield, and the preservation of bioactive functionality, from raw feedstock through to the final extract.The goal of this Research Topic is to place the extraction technology itself as the central object of inquiry. We welcome high-quality original research and authoritative reviews on advanced, green extraction platforms applied strictly to food-grade agricultural matrices and agri-industrial processing side streams, including fruit pomaces, seed cakes, cereal by-products, marine side streams, and processing residues.This Research Topic welcomes submissions that place advanced, green extraction platforms at the centre of inquiry. Themes of interest include, but are not limited to:• Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) and CO₂-based fractionation.• Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and subcritical water extraction (SWE).• Ultrasound-assisted (UAE) and microwave-assisted extraction (MAE), with emphasis on kinetic modeling and energy efficiency.• Design, thermodynamic characterization, and application of natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) and deep eutectic solvents (DES).• Hybrid, sequential, or non-thermal extraction schemes that couple these techniques to maximize resource efficiency.• Recovery of key bioactive classes, including polyphenols, carotenoids, bioactive lipids, volatile oils, and pigments.• Compositional profiling of isolated fractions by state-of-the-art chromatography and mass spectrometry.• Degradation kinetics of thermolabile bioactives, and in vitro functional or antioxidant validation.• Pilot-scale or semi-industrial trials that advance process scalability.• Techno-economic evaluations, energy-use metrics, and mass balances.• Life cycle assessments (LCA) and solvent recovery or recycling strategiesWe welcome Original Research articles, Reviews, Mini Reviews, Perspectives, and Methods papers. Submissions should systematically investigate how process parameters influence extraction kinetics, yield, selectivity, and extract quality, ideally supported by mathematical or statistical optimization approaches such as response surface methodology (RSM) or equivalent modeling frameworks.Studies on food-grade feedstocks and agri-food processing side streams are within scope. Work focused on wild-collected medicinal plants or targeting purely pharmacological endpoints in animal or clinical models falls outside the scope of this collection and will be directed to more suitable venues. Manuscripts that include downstream application data such as extract stabilization are welcome where this data directly validates the chemical integrity achieved through the extraction process. Topic editors: Nataša Nastić, Jelena Vladic, Kristian Pastor Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/83166/advanced-extraction-technologies-for-food-bioactives-process-optimization-nutritional-integrity-and-industrial-scale-up