Rosa María Sánchez-García

Natural products represent a major source of structurally diverse bioactive compounds with applications in pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, cosmetic, agricultural, and other industrial sectors. Despite the extensive literature in this field, existing reviews frequently address biological applications, extraction technologies, analytical characterization, or drug-development strategies as separate research areas, limiting an integrated understanding of how advances across these stages collectively influence natural-product discovery and translation. This review addresses this gap by providing a multidisciplinary perspective that connects natural-product sources and applications with sustainable extraction, advanced analytical characterization, data-driven approaches, and emerging drug-development strategies. Particular attention is given to green and intensified extraction technologies, including supercritical fluid, ultrasound-assisted, microwave-assisted, pressurized-liquid, enzyme-assisted extraction, and natural deep eutectic solvents, together with their efficiency, sustainability, and scalability. Advances in chromatography, high-resolution mass spectrometry, nuclear magnetic resonance, metabolomics, molecular networking, and artificial intelligence-assisted data analysis are critically discussed as tools for improving compound identification, prioritization, and biological interpretation. Furthermore, emerging synthetic and semisynthetic strategies, including late-stage functionalization, biocatalysis, synthetic biology, and continuous-flow processing, are examined in relation to molecular optimization and scalable production. Current limitations concerning standardization, toxicological assessment, regulatory requirements, industrial scalability, and translation are also considered. Overall, this review highlights the need to integrate these traditionally fragmented areas into a coherent natural-product research and development pipeline to improve reproducibility, sustainability, and successful translation into practical applications.

Higher education in health professions often faces a pedagogical disconnect between theoretical basic science instruction and the development of clinical empathy, social responsibility, and interprofessional competencies. To address this gap, this study evaluated a campus-based living laboratory model integrating service-learning and therapeutic horticulture into preclinical health curricula to foster active knowledge construction and inclusive community engagement. A single-cohort, post-intervention pilot evaluation within a qualitative-driven, convergent mixed-methods action-research pilot study was implemented with pharmacy students (N = 19) collaborating alongside physiotherapy peers and local organizations supporting individuals with cerebral palsy and psychological functional diversity (ASPACE and Inclusión Activa). Academic evaluation data showed that 89.5% of participating pharmacy students (n = 17/19) achieved high-performance marks (≥7.0/10.0) in Pharmacognosy assessment components addressing plant identification and secondary metabolite biosynthesis. Qualitative triangulation identified six core themes: applied learning, interdisciplinary collaboration, teamwork, social engagement, instructor impact, and overcoming fear. Interprofessional activities were co-designed with physiotherapy peers, while pharmacy students reported enhanced adaptive communication and clinical translation abilities. Embedding inclusive living laboratories within health curricula may offer a scalable approach that warrants further multi-cohort and multi-institutional evaluation to connect abstract scientific theory with human-centered healthcare practice.

Tomato-processing residues present a viable secondary source of lycopene; however, the hydrophobic nature and chemical instability of this carotenoid limit its direct integration into aqueous products. This study employed ultrasound-assisted extraction to obtain a lycopene-rich extract from tomato by-products, subsequently incorporating it into oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by whole Spirulina biomass. The carrier, comprising 9.5 wt.% pumpkin seed oil and 0.5 wt.% linseed oil, was produced using rotor–stator homogenization followed by probe sonication. A formulation with 2.71 wt.% Spirulina, treated for 813 s, was selected. Pulsed extraction resulted in 1.05 ± 0.08 mg of apparent lycopene equivalents per gram of dry by-product. The UV-Vis method demonstrated linearity from 0.5 to 5.0 µg mL⁻¹, with detection and quantification limits of 0.08 and 0.24 µg mL⁻¹, respectively, and a recovery rate of 96.2 ± 3.1% from spiked emulsion. The incorporation of lycopene did not significantly affect the Z-average diameter, polydispersity, or 30-day physical stability. After 28 days, lycopene retention was 78.4 ± 3.2% at 4 °C and 49.6 ± 4.1% at 25 °C, with a significant interaction between time and temperature.

The mounting global population and the challenges posed by climate change underline the need for sustainable food production systems. This review synthesizes evidence for a dual-track bioeconomy, green (terrestrial plants and insects) and blue (aquatic algae), as complementary pathways toward sustainable nutrition. A comprehensive review of the extant literature, technical reports, and policy documents published between 2015 and 2025 was conducted, with a particular focus on environmental, nutritional, and techno-economic metrics. In addition, precision agriculture datasets, gene-editing breakthroughs, and circular biorefinery case studies were extracted and compared. As demonstrated in this study, the use of green resources, such as legumes, oilseeds, and edible insects, results in a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and water footprints compared with conventional livestock production. In addition, these alternative protein sources offer substantial benefits in terms of bioactive lipids. Blue resources, centered on micro- and macroalgae, furnish additional proteins, long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, and antioxidant pigments and sequester carbon on non-arable or wastewater substrates. The transition to bio-based resources is facilitated by technological innovations, such as gene editing and advanced extraction methods, which promote the efficient valorization of agricultural residues. In conclusion, the study strongly suggests that policy support be expedited and that research into bioeconomy technologies be increased to ensure the sustainable meeting of future food demands.