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@article{209036,
        author = {Aangothu Sreenivasa Rao},
        title = {Phytochemical Profiling, Green Extraction, Separation and Characterization of Bioactive Compounds from Corn Silk (Zea mays L.): A Review},
        journal = {International Journal of Innovative Research in Technology},
        year = {2026},
        volume = {13},
        number = {5},
        pages = {457-464},
        issn = {2349-6002},
        url = {https://ijirt.org/article?manuscript=209036},
        abstract = {Corn silk, the stigmatic and stylar tissue of maize (Zea mays L.), is an abundant but underutilized agricultural by-product with a chemically diverse profile. Modern phytochemical investigations have identified flavonoids, phenolic acids, terpenoids, sterols, fatty acids, polysaccharides and nitrogen-containing metabolites in corn-silk preparations. This review consolidates current knowledge on the chemical composition of corn silk and emphasizes the relationship between extraction strategy, fractionation, chromatographic separation and structural characterization. Particular attention is given to environmentally preferable extraction using water and aqueous ethanol, ultrasound-assisted extraction, solvent–solvent partitioning, thin-layer chromatography, column chromatography, HPLC-DAD, LC-MS/MS, GC-MS, FTIR and NMR. High-resolution LC-MS studies have substantially expanded the known metabolite space; one detailed UHPLC/HRMS/MS investigation proposed 104 molecules, including 67 phenolic, 28 lipidic and 7 nitrogen-containing compounds. The review also summarizes reported antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, metabolic and other biological activities while distinguishing chemical evidence from pharmacological evidence. Finally, the paper identifies major research gaps, including standardization of plant material, harmonization of extraction procedures, confirmation of tentative LC-MS annotations with authentic standards, assessment of matrix and seasonal effects, and translation from in-vitro or preclinical findings to validated applications. The integrated evidence supports corn silk as a promising feedstock for sustainable phytochemical recovery and agricultural by-product valorization.},
        keywords = {Corn silk; Zea mays L.; Phytochemical Profiling; Green xtraction; Ultrasound-assisted extraction; Flavonoids; Phenolic acids; HPLC; LC-MS/MS; GC-MS; Chromatography; Agricultural by-products.},
        month = {October},
        }