**5. References**


**8** 

*Brazil* 

**Secondary Metabolites** 

*2Embrapa Food Technology, Rio de Janeiro,* 

Tânia da S. Agostini-Costa1, Roberto F. Vieira1,

*1Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, Brasília* 

*3Health Sciences Quality, University of Brasilia, Brasília,* 

Humberto R. Bizzo2, Dâmaris Silveira3 and Marcos A. Gimenes1

Secondary metabolites are organic molecules that are not involved in the normal growth and development of an organism. While primary metabolites have a key role in survive of the species, playing an active function in the photosynthesis and respiration, absence of secondary metabolites does not result in immediate death, but rather in long-term impairment of the organism's survivability, often playing an important role in plant defense. These compounds are an extremely diverse group of natural products synthesized by plants, fungi, bacteria, algae, and animals. Most of secondary metabolites, such as terpenes, phenolic compounds and alkaloids are classified based on their biosynthetic origin. Different classes of these compounds are often associated to a narrow set of species within a phylogenetic group and constitute the bioactive compound in several medicinal,

Secondary metabolites are frequently produced at highest levels during a transition from active growth to stationary phase. The producer organism can grow in the absence of their synthesis, suggesting that secondary metabolism is not essential, at least for short term survival. A second view proposes that the genes involved in secondary metabolism provide a ''genetic playing field" that allows mutation and natural selection to fix new beneficial traits via evolution. A third view characterizes secondary metabolism as an integral part of cellular metabolism and biology; it relies on primary metabolism to supply the required enzymes, energy, substrates and cellular machinery and contributes to the long term

A simple classification of secondary metabolites includes tree main groups: terpenes (such as plant volatiles, cardiac glycosides, carotenoids and sterols), phenolics (such as phenolic acids, coumarins, lignans, stilbenes, flavonoids, tannins and lignin) and nitrogen containing compounds (such as alkaloids and glucosinolates). A number of traditional separation techniques with various solvent systems and spray reagents, have been described as having the ability to separate and identify secondary metabolites. This chapter proposes to discuss major secondary metabolites classes (terpenoids, phenolic compounds and alkaloids) with different chemical structures and functions being screened, separated, fractionated, purified

aromatic, colorant, and spice plants and/or functional foods.

survival of the producer (Roze et al, 2011).

**1. Introduction** 

