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Secondary Metabolites of Higher Plants as Green Preservatives of Herbal Raw Materials and Their Active Principles During Postharvest Processing

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Evidence Based Validation of Traditional Medicines

Abstract

Herbal raw materials get contaminated with different microbes during collection and postharvest processing, causing both quantitative and qualitative damage leading to degradation of active principles. Currently, a wide range of plant products including essential oils have been found efficacious against fungal and mycotoxin contamination of raw materials and have been recommended as green preservatives for postharvest protection of herbal raw materials. Extracts of different higher plants and bioactive constituents, viz., carvone (from Carum carvi), azadirachtin (from Azadirachta indica), and isothiocyanate (from horseradish and brassicaceous plants) have exhibited promising efficacy against microbial contamination. Currently, nanotechnological approach has enhanced the bio-efficacy of phytochemicals through controlled release, site specific delivery, and enhanced stability. The present article throws light on different plant products recommended in postharvest preservation of herbal raw materials and also explains the future technological advancements in their better utilization as preservative of herbal raw materials. Such documentation of pharmacological efficacy of traditionally used plant products would also be helpful in bioprospection of plant diversity against biopiracy.

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Abbreviations

AFs:

Aflatoxins

EOs:

Essential oils

FB1:

Fumonisin B1

FB2:

Fumonisin B2

FB3:

Fumonisin B3

GRAS:

Generally recognized as safe

OTA:

Ochratoxin A

OTB:

Ochratoxin B

OTC:

Ochratoxin C

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Acknowledgments

Authors are thankful to Head and Coordinator, Centre of Advanced Study (CAS) in Botany, Banaras Hindu University for providing necessary facilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Botany, Centre of Advanced Study, Institute of Science, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India

    Somenath Das, Vipin Kumar Singh, Neha Upadhyay, Bijendra Kumar Singh, Jitendra Prasad, Shikha Tiwari & Nawal Kishore Dubey

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  1. Somenath Das
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  2. Vipin Kumar Singh
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  3. Neha Upadhyay
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  4. Bijendra Kumar Singh
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Correspondence to Nawal Kishore Dubey .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Pharmaceutical Technology, Jadavpur University, Kolkata, West Bengal, India

    Subhash C. Mandal

  2. NEF College of Pharmacy, Guwahati, Assam, India

    Raja Chakraborty

  3. Faculty of Pharmaceutical Science, Assam down town University, Guwahati, Assam, India

    Saikat Sen

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Das, S. et al. (2021). Secondary Metabolites of Higher Plants as Green Preservatives of Herbal Raw Materials and Their Active Principles During Postharvest Processing. In: Mandal, S.C., Chakraborty, R., Sen, S. (eds) Evidence Based Validation of Traditional Medicines. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-8127-4_13

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