A plausible explanation of this is because most unwanted components which are not bioactive, such as coloured pigments, resin or wax, were removed during sequential extraction, leaving only cytotoxic compounds or other bioactive phenolic compounds [ 46].
Prominent bioactive components might be part of the preparation, but in some cases, there are no apparent single active components, which are detectable and responsible for the net effect.
Moreover, the biological activities of plant extracts and essential oils are contributed to their bioactive components which may be affected by seasons, geographical origin, harvest time, agronomic practices and extraction methods (Fiocco et al. 2011).
Hence, pharmaceutical and food domains have common interest to obtain new natural bioactive components which can be used as drugs, functional food ingredients, or nutraceuticals (Joana Gil-Chávet et al. 2013).
Milk is a source of many bioactive components, which not only help meeting the nutritional requirements of the consumers, but also play a relevant role in preventing various disorders.
Antioxidant capacity is one of the commonly used parameters to determine the bioactive components which exhibited pharmacological activities.
Therefore, plant sterols present in S. crispus may be among bioactive component which contributed to the initiation of p53 mediated apoptosis pathways in MCF-7 cells.
Ginsenosides are the primary bioactive components of ginseng, which is a popular medicinal herb and exhibits diverse pharmacological activities.
The bioactive components of Atta mandibular gland secretions, which are also considered to be pheromones (Citral and 4-methyl-3-Heptanol etc)., were shown to inhibit a range of microorganisms.
