The potential use of hydrogen in the extraction of phytochemicals from neglected and underutilized plant species for enhanced human nutrition

Neglected and underutilized plant species (NUS) are crops rich in bioactive phytochemicals that positively impact nutrition and health. Despite their resilience and nutritional benefits, NUS remain underexploited due to limited research funding, weak market demand, and postharvest issues. Identifying NUS rich in phenolic compounds, carotenoids, and micronutrients that can be recovered can facilitate their use across sectors such as food, pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, cosmetics, agrochemicals, and other industries. Incorporating NUS extracts into functional foods, supplements, and nutraceuticals can help address micronutrient deficiencies and promote sustainable food security. Promoting NUS valorization through advanced green technologies, such as hydrogen-based extraction, can enhance market appeal and reduce reliance on major crops. Various traditional and innovative techniques are used to extract phytochemicals from NUS. Recently, hydrogen extraction (H2Ext) has gained attention for its efficiency, sustainability, environmental friendliness, and cost-effectiveness. This review examines the potential of H2Ext to valorize NUS and recover phytochemicals, identifies research gaps and limitations, and emphasizes the strategic role of NUS and green technologies in global nutrition. It underscores the dual benefit: scientific progress via H2Ext and societal gains through increased nutritional security from underutilized biodiversity. H2Ext could reveal the hidden nutritional value of NUS by enhancing the release, stability, and chemical accessibility of phytochemicals from plant matrices.