Biocentric Chemoprospecting Towards Addressing Sustainable Development Goals

The intrinsic potential of biodiversity as a key resource for developing novel value-added products of commercial importance has been increasingly realized in recent years. During the past few decades, there has been an upsurge in chemoprospecting of phytoresources across the world for the discovery of medicines, nutraceuticals, food and feed, fibre, fragrance and flavor, colourants, pest control agents, and a diverse array of marketable green products for a safe and healthier future of mankind and environment. The UN-SDG calls for a world free from hunger and malnutrition, and health for all apart from sustainable energy and ecological safety. Owing to their exceedingly complex chemical makeup and diverse biological functions, plants offer innumerable opportunities for addressing the various pressing challenges of the world like food and nutrition security, energy sustainability, and environmental safety, through their chemoprospecting. As far as the discovery of novel drugs is concerned, chemoprospecting of plants remains today an essential element and there are several modern medicines developed through phyto-chemoprospecing. Also, plants being a source of vitamins, amino acids, minerals, and many other macro and micro nutrients can be used in an amplified manner for their tendency to effectively aid metabolic and lifestyle disorders apart from providing nutrition. Commercial utilization of natural fibers is dependent upon their properties, price and recyclability. As yet, cotton is considered as the best natural fiber and industry is heavily dependent on it. There is a need to explore non-conventional sources of fibre that may prove to be abundant and good sources of fiber. Fatty oil industry is one of the foremost industries in the world with a massive turnover next to petrochemicals. Owing to the shortage of fatty oils from tree-borne oilseeds, the unconventional plant sources of fatty oils also require systematic exploration. Essential oil-bearing crops have vast potential for enhanced utilization by shifting from low-value and high-volume products to high-value, low-volume products. The development of a facile and efficient protocol for the isolation of essential oil constituents can lead to the recovery of fine chemicals with diverse biological and industrial applications. The current phytoproducts management and utilization practices need reforms in consonance with the contemporary needs of society. Phytochemical prospecting may lead to the development of facile protocols and useful products. The technologies/products developed can also save the onslaught of highly valuable endangered species. The article emphasizes the potential and prospects of biocentric chemoprospecting in the realization of sustainable development goals.