Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADES) in Food Systems: Emerging Applications, Extraction Efficiency, Safety Concerns, and Regulatory Challenges

Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADES) have emerged as green alternatives to conventional organic solvents in food processing. They are biodegradable, nonvolatile, and highly efficient at solubilizing bioactive molecules, including polyphenols, flavonoids, anthocyanins, carotenoids, and alkaloids. From 2020 to 2025, significant advances have clarified their composition, physicochemical behavior, interaction mechanisms, and technological uses in foods. Rational combinations of hydrogen-bond donors and acceptors, often composed of substances classified as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS), enable selective and high-yield extraction from plants, agro-industrial byproducts, and food waste. Coupling NADES with ultrasound, microwave, or pressurized extraction has increased efficiency while protecting heat-sensitive compounds. Beyond extraction, NADES show promise as preservatives, delivery systems, encapsulating media, color stabilizers, and natural antioxidants in meat, dairy, fermented, and plant-based products. Remaining bottlenecks include high viscosity, scarce toxicological and metabolic data, absence of specific regulations, and limited research on sensory impacts and shelf life under realistic large-scale industrial conditions.