**Author details**

*Bioactive Compounds - Biosynthesis, Characterization and Applications*

terols, zoosterols, and mycosterols.

involved in alkaloid biosynthesis [17].

oxidative stress and related diseases [18].

cardiovascular diseases and cancer [19].

ment of products by industry.

terrestrial animals [10].

Terpenoids generally constitute the largest and most diverse class of secondary metabolites in natural products. For example, it is estimated that more than 1200 natural carotenoids have been characterized from different sources, including plants, fruits, vegetables and microorganisms [6]. Sterols are present in most living organisms, including vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, fungi, and bacteria [13]. According to [14], sterols that occur plant, animal, and microbial are called phytos-

On the other hand, phenolic compounds (including flavonoids) are widely distributed in the plant kingdom, are present in fruits, leaves, seeds and glycosylated in other parts of the plant [15]. Most known alkaloids are isolated from plants. However, they have also been reported in microorganisms, marine organisms, and

Regardless of the source, bioactive compounds must be obtained (isolated or extract) from some extraction technique. They are conventionally solvent extracted, considering important aspects such as solvent-compound affinity, extraction time and temperature. However, emerging technologies such as ultrasound, pulsed electric field, enzymatic digestion, extrusion, microwave, ohmic heating, supercritical fluids are increasingly used due to greater sustainability and efficiency [3, 12].

In terms of biosynthesis, bioactive compounds can be formed in different ways. Terpenes are biosynthesized via the cytosolic mevalonic acid (MVA) pathway and the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway [16]. The biosynthesis of phenolic compounds involves several pathways, the shikimic acid pathway, phenylpropanoid and flavonoid pathways [9]. In contrast, the shikimic acid pathway is the main route

The benefits of these compounds are a consequence of several proven bioactive properties, mainly antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial effects [8]. In general, most bioactive compounds have a marked antioxidant capacity due to their ability to capture reactive species [8]. Furthermore, they improve endogenous antioxidant defenses in vivo, allowing an attractive therapeutic approach against

The role of bioactive in inflammatory processes is evidenced by reducing signalers such as pro-inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, interleukins, inducible enzymes (cyclooxygenase-2 and inducible nitric oxide synthase) and inflammatory mediators (prostaglandins, leukotrienes and thromboxane). These pathological events are associated with the development and progression of most chronic diseases, such as type II diabetes mellitus, obesity, neurodegenerative disorders,

The antimicrobial activity of bioactive compounds has been reported for different microorganisms [20]. This activity is often associated with phenolic compounds, and it is believed that they use active redox metals from the microbial cell,

In addition to these mentioned properties, several other effects are associated with bioactive compounds, including anticancer, neuroprotection, hepatoprotec-

The chapters presented in this book provide a reliable compilation of biosynthesized active compounds with proven activities that can contribute to the develop-

causing an imbalance in the redox state and consequently cell death [21].

tive, immunomodulatory activities and dyslipidemias control [18, 22–25].

**2**

Tatiele Casagrande do Nascimento, Eduardo Jacob-Lopes and Leila Queiroz Zepka\* Department of Food Science and Technology, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, RS, Brazil

\*Address all correspondence to: zepkaleila@yahoo.com.br

© 2021 The Author(s). Licensee IntechOpen. This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/ by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
