Utilizing green solvents in compressed fluids technologies for extracting bioactive compounds from Ruta graveolens L.

Ruta graveolens L. is considered an important source of alkaloids and furanocoumarins, with attributed biological activity against phytopathogenic microorganisms. Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) and supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) using bio-based solvents are green alternative extraction techniques to obtain specific type of compounds. From aerial parts, terpenes were favorably extracted by PLE, while by SFE using batch extraction, different fractions were obtained depending on the extraction pressure: at 200 bar, fatty acids enrichment was achieved from dry sample, while at 350 bar mainly alkaloids and furanocoumarins were obtained from moistened sample. Coumarins were extracted mainly from roots by the two extraction techniques tested. However, this family is always extracted together with alkaloids and furanocoumarins. Therefore, in this work a green methodology has been developed to obtain rue extracts enriched in different families of biologically active substances that could have antifungal or nematicidal activity for pathogen control in agricultural activities.