What are plant extracts? When are they used?

Plant extracts refer to products that are made from plants as raw materials, and are subjected to physical and chemical extraction and separation processes according to the needs of the final product, to obtain or concentrate one or more components in the plant in a targeted manner without changing the structure of its effective ingredients.

While plant extracts come in many forms, they all share one characteristic: Extracts represent naturally occurring phytochemicals (compounds produced by plants) that have been removed from the inert structures of the plants that produced them. The main advantage of using extracts rather than plants is that once extracted from the plant matrix, the phytochemicals do not need to be digested and are more easily absorbed.

   Application scenarios include pharmaceuticals, natural pigments, natural sweeteners, functional plant extracts, Chinese medicine extracts, plant essential oils, prebiotics, etc.

Application fields of plant extracts:

1. Applications in food and beverages:

Mainly used as natural additives, functional ingredients and flavor substances. They can improve the nutritional value, flavor, color and shelf life of food.

l (1). Natural pigments:

Colored organic matter prepared from the roots, stems, leaves, flowers, fruits, etc. of widely grown plants as raw materials, extracted using appropriate solvents, and processed through separation, refining, drying and other processes. This type of organic matter is known as It is called plant extract natural pigment.

Plant extracts such as anthocyanins, curcumin, beta-carotene, etc. can replace artificial synthetic pigments and provide natural colors for food and beverages.

There are currently more than 40 major natural pigments on the market, such as capsicum red pigment, marigold extract, gardenia yellow pigment, curcumin, etc.

l (2). Natural sweeteners:

Products that are extracted and processed from naturally synthesized sweetening ingredients in natural plants are usually called natural sweeteners.

According to the sweetness, it can be divided into low-intensity sweeteners such as sucrose and beet sugar; and high-intensity sweeteners such as steviol glycoside, mogroside, sweet tea glycoside, licorice extract and neohesperidin dihydrochalcone. Stevia extracts, etc. can be used as natural low-calorie sweeteners in beverages and foods.

Gradually replacing sugar with natural high-intensity sweeteners is the main trend in the current food and beverage industry.

l (3). Natural spices and seasonings:

Many plant extracts have unique aromas and flavors, such as mint, vanilla, basil, etc., and can be used to flavor food and beverages.

l (4). Functional ingredients:

Some plant extracts are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, etc., and can be added to food and beverages to enhance the nutritional value and health benefits of the product, such as green tea extract, grape seed extract, etc.

l (5). Natural preservatives:

Some plant extracts have antibacterial and antibacterial effects, which can extend the shelf life of food, such as rosemary extract, garlic extract, etc.

2. Application in feed: It is also used in feed to improve the health and production performance of animals.

l (1). Growth promoter:

Some plant extracts, such as astragalus polysaccharide, can promote the growth of animals and improve feed conversion rate.

l (2). Immunoenhancer:

Plant extracts can enhance the immunity of animals and improve their resistance to diseases, for example, ginseng extract, echinacea extract, etc.

l (3). Antioxidant:

It can reduce the damage of free radicals to animals and improve the health level of animals, such as vitamin E, tea polyphenols, etc.

l (4). Improve feed palatability:

Some plant extracts can increase the aroma and flavor of feed and increase the feed intake of animals.

l (5). Alternative antibiotics:

Plant extracts can be used as natural antibacterial agents to replace antibiotics and reduce antibiotic residues and the generation of drug resistance

3. Health care products:

memory, fatigue; stress; regulating blood lipids; gastrointestinal function; sleep; anemia; protecting chemical liver damage; milk secretion; visual fatigue; promoting lead excretion; beauty; hair care.

4. API:

Currently, active pharmaceutical ingredients can be obtained from plants: such as paclitaxel. Ginsenosides, etc.

5. Daily chemicals and cosmetics:

It can be used for cosmetic moisturizing, water-oil balance, skin problems, etc.

6. Plant essential oils:

Plant essential oil is a type of aromatic oily liquid extracted from plants. There are now more than 3,000 known plant essential oils, of which about 300 have important commercial value. In addition to being used as spices, plant essential oils are widely used in daily chemicals (perfumes, cosmetics, hand creams, soaps, air fresheners, antiseptics, etc.), medicines, food and beverages, feeds (such as oregano oil), pest control, etc. aspect.