Inspired by one of the major problems in the pharmaceutical industry, we advantageously used the formation of eutectic mixtures to synthesize new solvents. The aim of this work is to identify low viscosity, cheap, biodegradable and hydrophobic eutectic solvents from natural resources. Consequently, novel eutectic mixtures based on DL-menthol and naturally occurring acids, namely pyruvic acid, acetic acid, L-lactic acid, and lauric acid, were synthesized and are here reported for the first time. The obtained DLmenthol-based eutectic mixtures were analyzed using NMR and FTIR spectroscopy in order to check their structures and purities and to confirm the interaction of the two compounds leading to the eutectic formation. Important solvent thermophysical properties, such as density and viscosity, of the prepared eutectic solvents with different water contents (dried and watersaturated) were measured. Finally, taking advantage of their hydrophobic character, namely the formation of two phases with water at room temperature, four different biomolecules, caffeine, tryptophan, isophthalic acid, and vanillin, were extracted and the extraction efficiencies of the prepared eutectic solvents compared.

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Lipases represent one of the most reported groups of enzymes for the production of biofuels. They are used for the processing of glycerides and fatty acids for biodiesel (fatty acid alkyl esters) production. This paper presents the main topics of the enzyme-based production of biodiesel, from the feedstocks to the production of enzymes and their application in esterification and transesterification reactions. Growing technologies, such as the use of whole cells as catalysts, are addressed, and as concluding remarks, the advantages, concerns, and future prospects of enzymatic biodiesel are presented.

β-carotene is the main source of pro-vitamin A and is widely used as a food colorant, with a global market estimated to surpass USD 280 million in 2015. The majority of the β-carotene commercialized in the world is obtained by chemical synthesis from β-ionone. Alternatively, the production of β-carotene can be reached on a biotechnological basis, using filamentous fungi, bacteria, microalgae, and yeasts as producers, or even by extraction from vegetable sources, such as oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) and buriti (Mauritia vinifera). The present review is focused on the current technologies for β-carotene production and presents an overview of new tendencies regarding the carotenoids extraction from microbial and vegetal feedstocks, as well as processes for their concentration.

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