This paper reviews studies on green resource fractionation for two different types of materialdisplaying a lignocellulosic or granular-type structure or a composite of the two. It explains how theidentification of specific biochemical or spectral markers helps monitor tissue fate along processingand thus increase our knowledge on material fractionation. The key role of tissue mechanicalproperties in fracture behavior and the value of characterizing them were highlighted to betterunderstand particle composition and properties. The effect of different modes of mechanical stressand strain during grinding as the main step of fractionation was illustrated. The value of differenttypes of pre-treatment before or at grinding to reduce energy required to fracture and enhancedissociation or compound accessibility was presented. Separation methods based on differences inproperties of the generated particles, and particularly innovative developments based onelectrostatic sorting, were reviewed.