Secondary Metabolites Tressure to Pharma and Food Industry – A Review

Abstract

Secondary metabolites used in food industry majorly as a food additives and food preservatives. Food additives are substances added to food to preserve flavor or enhance its taste, appearance, or other qualities. secondary metabolites are organic compounds that are largely obtained by extraction from plants or tissues. They are primarily used in the biopharmaceutical industry due to their capability to reduce infectious diseases in human beings and animals and thus increase the life expectancy. Many secondary metabolites have important antibacterial or antifungal agents, anticancer drugs, cholesterol lowering agents, antiparasitic agents, herbicides, antibiotics, bacterial pigment and plant terpenoids are also found to have anti-HIV, antitumor, antiaging, immunosuppressants, antiprotozoal and anthelmintic activities. Secondary metabolites that have complicated chemical structure are used as medicine raw material in pharmaceutical industry, food additives in food industry. Products contain secondary metabolites are known as herbal drugs or phytochemicals are widely demanded. Well known sources of secondary metabolites are plants, bacteria, algae, microalgae, fungi and marine organisms such as sponges, tunicates and corals. Many different classifications are present in literature, it is possible to classify secondary metabolites as terpene, phenolic compound (such as anthocyanin, flavonoids, coumarin and lignin) and alkaloids.