Deep eutectic solvents for extraction and purification of plant proteins

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.7172417057

• Palavras-chave: green solvents, eutectic mixture, large-scale

• Keywords: green solvents, eutectic mixture, large-scale

• Abstract: Recently, diverse methods for plant protein extraction have been studied due to the potential applications that proteins have, either for obtaining food, or for the treatment and prevention of diseases. Various plant species and even agro-industrial wastes have been used, however, the extraction and purification of these compounds involve challenges including energetical and economical costs, environmental impact, etc., hence it is important to find new strategies to carry out this process. In recent years, deep eutectic solvents (DES) have been studied in order to substitute common solvents used for protein extraction and, besides they follow the green chemistry principles. DES are able to extract proteins at with high yields, nevertheless, in spite of their multiple advantages, some challenges need to be explored to improve extraction and purification of plant proteins. The aim of this chapter is to show the multiple advantages of DES as emerging mixtures in both extraction and purification of plant proteins, as well as the opportunity areas and the challenges, that actually, can limit their large-scale application.