Plant extracts are using plants as raw materials, after extraction separation process of physical chemistry, gets to the concentration of one or more active ingredients in plants, without changing its structure and formation of effective components of the product. Plant extracts generally belongs to the intermediate product, current use is very widespread, mainly used in pharmaceuticals, health foods, such as tobacco, cosmetic raw materials or accessories. According to the plant's components are different, formation of glycosides, acid, polyphenols, polysaccharides, terpenes, flavonoids, alkaloids, etc; different in accordance with the final product characteristics, can be divided into vegetable oils, extracts, powder, lens, etc. China used to extract raw material plant of the species is also very much at present into the industrial extraction of plant varieties in more than 300.

Plant extracts currently take three main techniques: resin separation technology, industrial extraction and analysis of detection techniques. Technology already successfully applied in industrial decolorization resin extraction and separation, analysis of the protection of the environment, drugs, antibiotics, and other fields. Industrial extraction technologies including organic solvent extraction technologies. Analysis and detection technique criterion required composition and quantitative analysis of harmful substances, or with a standard control, or using a fingerprint for identification products, raw materials, production process and finished products are subject to strict testing. What technology and variety of plant extracts and extraction purposes directly related to the main organic solvent extraction technology of Chinese plant extract suppliers, subject to financial and technical strength take carbon dioxide supercritical fluid extraction and analysis and detection technique of smaller enterprises. Abroad is about more than 75% of Chinese herbs extracts for testing using HPLC, compared with 10.9% in Chinese Pharmacopoeia proprietary Chinese medicines containing the product.

70-90 's of the last century, Chinese medicine and food companies are equipped with plant extracts workshop, virtually no specialized plant extract enterprise in China. After 90, increased demand for herbal or natural medicine abroad, and has a wealth of plant resources in China, which naturally led the development of plant extracts industry in China. Initially rely mainly on raw material advantages, to provide rough products abroad, the original varieties of Ginkgo biloba extract, licorice extract, ephedra extract, green tea extracts. Up to now, plant extracts industry has formed a certain scale, over a total of more than 600 plant extract export enterprises in China, but most of the medicine and pharmaceutical raw materials suppliers or trading companies, production enterprises about more than more than 200, the scale and low skill levels, improving the lot of products, but mainly there is no technical content of products, with a certain few competitive products annual production value of more than 60 million Yuan enterprises. The whole industry less skilled, mainly exported raw materials at a low cost, very affected by the fluctuations of the international raw material markets, Chinese companies to cut prices in the international markets means lower competition, extracts of consequences is the international market for China's image is low-quality products, the purchase price is very low, China plants provide enterprises with low profit, greatly affecting the motive force of the development of planting industry in China. Plant extracts from general market demand in China accounted for about 5% of the plant extract sales, most of the product is sold in Europe, America and Japan, and Korea markets, Chinese plant extracts in the past two years annual growth rate is high, at around 30%, stripping out cost increase factors, extracts from plants in China in the coming years is expected growth rate of around 20%.

Source: http://www.cospcn.com