7. Conclusion

Only a minor fraction of the Taraxacum species has been tested against microorganisms that cause human, animal, and plant diseases. Considering that species can differ in composition due to environmental and genetic characteristics, the evaluated antimicrobial properties could also differ, which means that there is a considerable potential in establishing this genus as a commercial antimicrobial compound. Currently, this genus is considered to have a mild antimicrobial activity compared to other plants, but its worldwide presence and simple cultivation provide an advantage that needs to be assessed more accurately.

Generally, studies do not provide sufficient details concerning the sample manipulation, extraction procedure, or bioassay used, which are necessary for standardization and further statistical comparison. Therefore, despite the published data, it is not possible to conclude which solvent or which conditions provide the optimal results for antimicrobial activity; however, it is possible to set a range of operational parameters that can be used to maximize extract potential.

Isolation and purification of Taraxacum compounds needs to be further explored. Although synergy is an important characteristic of plant mixtures responsible for its antimicrobial activity and even though bioactive synthesis is difficult and expensive on a large scale, knowing the nature of Taraxacum extracts and the associated antimicrobial mechanisms may provide important advantages in synthesizing specific structures with improved antimicrobial properties.

Contradictory information is available in the data analyzed; however, these discrepancies are probably the result of different procedures, particular considerations, or inaccurate process descriptions. These differences make it quite possible that the results are not directly related to the full antimicrobial potential of Taraxacum but to a limited scope. Therefore, extracts and bioassays must be conducted under a standardized protocol to provide reproducible studies and reliable data comparisons between published articles, which would empower research conducted by authors worldwide and allow for the interrelated study of this genus. In addition, the efficacy of reported biological activity in vitro could be validated with in vivo assays.

Standardization of the entire procedure (sample manipulation, extraction, and further bioassay) is necessary for comparisons of published data and establishing the exact potential of Taraxacum, or any other plant extract, as a commercial antimicrobial agent. The uniformity of an extract is highly susceptible to external factors that influence plant metabolism. This problem could be solved by performing plant breeding techniques with selected Taraxacum species grown under controlled environmental conditions.
