article · Food Nutrition
This review presents an integrated framework for recovering phenolic compounds from underutilised taxa, agricultural discards, and marine sources within circular biorefineries. An evaluation of six green extraction technologies demonstrates that no single method universally satisfies requirements for efficiency, selectivity, and scalability, pointing instead to matrix-specific and hybrid extraction approaches. The functional understanding of phenolics is updated from simple radical scavenging to complex biological mechanisms, including the activation of cytoprotective pathways, modulation of inflammation, and transformation into active metabolites by gut microbes. To facilitate use in functional foods, advanced formulation strategies such as nano-delivery systems, matrix engineering, and sensory adjustments are required to stabilise fragile compounds and improve bioavailability. Moving these compounds into validated commercial products also demands standardised analytics, rigorous human trials, and supportive regulatory frameworks.
Phenolic compounds from food waste and marine sources offer valuable health benefits, but extracting and using them effectively remains difficult. By clarifying how these molecules actually behave in the body and identifying how to extract and formulate them reliably, this work helps guide the sustainable transformation of agricultural and marine side streams into health-promoting foods.
This work informs early-stage development for functional food manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and biorefinery operators seeking to valorise agricultural and marine waste. Practical translation remains at a conceptual to early development stage, as real-world market entry will require tailored extraction cascades, advanced nano-delivery formulations, standardised analytical protocols, human clinical validation, and novel food regulatory approvals.
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This review synthesizes the emerging paradigm for phenolic compound valorization, transitioning from isolated discovery to integrated biorefinery platforms that unlock the hidden diversity within underutilized taxa, agri-food discards, and marine sources. Specifically, we critically evaluate six green extraction technologies, revealing that no single platform universally reconciles selectivity, efficiency, and scalability, thereby necessitating matrix-specific optimization and hybrid cascades. Mechanistically, the basis of phenolic bioactivity is reconceptualized, shifting from direct radical scavenging to sophisticated prooxidant signaling that activates Nrf2-mediated cytoprotection, modulates inflammatory networks via NF-κB and inflammasome pathways, and depends on gut microbial biotransformation to generate bioactive metabolites. To translate these insights into applications, advanced formulation strategies, including matrix engineering, sensory optimization, and nano-delivery systems, are essential to stabilize labile phenolics and enhance bioavailability. Collectively, this comprehensive analysis provides a cohesive framework that connects phenolic discovery, green extraction, mechanistic bioactivity, and formulation strategies to catalyze the rational design of functional foods within sustainable circular biorefineries. Finally, translating this phenolic diversity into clinically validated products will require harmonized analytical standards, robust human trials, and regulatory frameworks that accommodate novel sources while ensuring consumer safety.
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DOI: 10.1016/j.fnutr.2026.100081
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