Bioactive Compounds from Medicinal Plants and Their Importance in Food Industry

Iran is an area for the growth of wide range of medicinal plants due to its geographical conditions. Since old times, this country has been the place of production and consumption of medicinal plants. Considering the consumer awareness about the negative effects of artificial food additives on human health and the environment, the tendency to use herbal extracts is increasing. Therefore, the replacement of artificial additives such as artificial antioxidants with bioactive compounds of medicinal plants has now been considered by researchers. Different bioactive compounds can be extracted from herbal sources using different extraction techniques such as maceration, ultrasound-assisted extraction, microwave-assisted extraction, and supercritical fluid extraction. These compounds can be used as natural preservatives to increase shelf life in different food products.