Open Access

REVIEW

Innovative Approaches in the Extraction, Identification, and Application of Secondary Metabolites from Plants

Amine Assouguem^1,*, Saoussan Annemer^2,3, Mohammed Kara⁴, Abderrahim Lazraq⁵

1 Ethnopharmacology and Pharmacognosy Team, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Errachidia, Moulay Ismaïl University, Meknes, 50000, Morocco
2 Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences and Technologies, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Route d’Imozzer, Fez, 30000, Morocco
3 Biotechnology, Environmental Technology and Valorization of Bio-Resources Team, Department of Biology, Laboratory of Research and Development in Engineering Sciences, Faculty of Sciences and Techniques Al-Hoceima, Abdelmalek Essaadi University, Tétouan, 93000, Morocco
4 Laboratory of Biotechnology, Conservation and Valorization of Natural Resources (LBCVNR), Faculty of Sciences Dhar EI Mehraz, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, B. P. 1796, Fez, 30000, Morocco
5 Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Environment, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Imouzzer Street, P.O. Box 2202, Fez, 30000, Morocco

* Corresponding Author: Amine Assouguem. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Vegetable Resources, Sustainable Plant Protection and Adaptation Strategies to Climate Change)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2025, 94(6), 1631-1668. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2025.065750

Received 21 March 2025; Accepted 16 May 2025; Issue published 27 June 2025

Abstract

Unlike primary metabolites, secondary metabolites serve critical ecological functions, including plant protection, stress tolerance, and symbiosis. This review focuses on extracting, separating, and identifying the major classes of secondary metabolites, including alkaloids, terpenoids, phenolics, glycosides, saponins, and coumarins. It describes optimized methods regarding plant selection, extraction by solvents, and purification of the metabolites, highlighting the latest advancements in chromatographic and spectroscopic techniques. The review also describes some of the most important problems, such as the instability of the compounds or diversity of the structures, and discusses emerging technologies that solve these issues. Moreover, it examines the secondary roles of these metabolites in medicine, such as anticancer and antimicrobial drugs, sustainable agriculture biopesticides, and environmental ecology-also known as allelopathy and bioindicators. It combines traditional ethnobotanical approaches with contemporary science, demonstrating the vital need to protect biodiversity in key ecosystems such as tropical rainforests, mountain regions, coral reefs, and arid zones as a foundation for anticipatory bio-discoveries. It organizes the methodological frameworks and outlines the steps needed to enhance the extraction of bioactive compounds from natural sources.

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