The analyses of natural products must cover a wide range of topics, from the study of the plant metabolome to quality control and determination of specific compounds, often at trace levels. They usually deal with very complex samples, as the metabolome of a plant includes a large variety of compounds. The development of appropriate sample preparation and analytical methods is therefore essential to obtain the required level of information. Conventional analytical methods require the use of a considerable amount of samples and reagents, as well as high energy consumption. However, more environmentally friendly alternatives, which are more in line with the principles of Green Analytical Chemistry, can be adopted. At the same time, quality control laboratories in industry also have to deal with norms and quality standards that require accurate and reliable measurements. Therefore, a balance between environmental friendliness, analytical efficiency and "productivity" should be considered in the global evaluation of a method. This contribution will explore cutting edge strategies for sample preparation and analysis in the natural product field, through a series of case studies. With respect to extraction, a particular emphasis will be dedicated to miniaturization and to the use of new and renewable materials. Indeed, plant-derived products can provide a source of effective solvents that can be used in with appropriate microextraction techniques for the isolation of target analytes, further improving the sustainability of the process. Miniaturization, along with the possibility of minimizing time, number of analyses, energy consumption, and use of non-renewable resources, will be also considered for the chromatographic separation step. A quantitative assessment of global and environmental impact will be proposed to illustrate that it is possible to obtain the required level of information with highly sustainable analytical approaches, even in an industrial context and when dealing with complex samples and challenging problems.
Going green in natural products analysis: leading strategies for sample preparation and analysis
Cecilia Cagliero
First
;Gaia Bechis;Giulia Mastellone;Arianna Marengo;Barbara Sgorbini;Patrizia Rubiolo
2023-01-01
Abstract
The analyses of natural products must cover a wide range of topics, from the study of the plant metabolome to quality control and determination of specific compounds, often at trace levels. They usually deal with very complex samples, as the metabolome of a plant includes a large variety of compounds. The development of appropriate sample preparation and analytical methods is therefore essential to obtain the required level of information. Conventional analytical methods require the use of a considerable amount of samples and reagents, as well as high energy consumption. However, more environmentally friendly alternatives, which are more in line with the principles of Green Analytical Chemistry, can be adopted. At the same time, quality control laboratories in industry also have to deal with norms and quality standards that require accurate and reliable measurements. Therefore, a balance between environmental friendliness, analytical efficiency and "productivity" should be considered in the global evaluation of a method. This contribution will explore cutting edge strategies for sample preparation and analysis in the natural product field, through a series of case studies. With respect to extraction, a particular emphasis will be dedicated to miniaturization and to the use of new and renewable materials. Indeed, plant-derived products can provide a source of effective solvents that can be used in with appropriate microextraction techniques for the isolation of target analytes, further improving the sustainability of the process. Miniaturization, along with the possibility of minimizing time, number of analyses, energy consumption, and use of non-renewable resources, will be also considered for the chromatographic separation step. A quantitative assessment of global and environmental impact will be proposed to illustrate that it is possible to obtain the required level of information with highly sustainable analytical approaches, even in an industrial context and when dealing with complex samples and challenging problems.
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