Critical approach to PLE technique application in the analysis of secondary metabolites in plants

Abstract The aim of this paper is to present in the most comprehensive way the facts about the application of PLE in the analysis of secondary metabolites in plants. It is true that due to its specific extraction conditions, PLE is one of the most effective and versatile techniques of plant constituents isolation. It is also true that it has popularized the use of aqueous organic mixtures, and even water alone, for the extraction of nonpolar compounds. Yet, the same specific extraction conditions can lead to erroneous results of plant constituent content analysis. Disclosure of new facts about the application of PLE in the analysis of secondary plant metabolites provides an insight into an often overlooked aspect of extraction of active compounds from plants.