EXTRACTS – Natural herbal extracts for use in the food and cosmetics industries.
We can say with certainty that the plant kingdom existed on Earth long before humanity itself. As humanity evolved, it began to discover an increasing number of plant species. It attributed to them a magical power and gradually learned to recognize their properties. Knowledge about plants, or rather their effects, was mostly empirical, and mistakes and errors were common. Initially, the focus was on species that served as a food source (tubers, fruits, leaves were collected), and over time, their medicinal properties were recognized — plants that relieve pain, induce sleep, or are poisonous.
Archaeologists from various countries assume that as early as the Middle Stone Age, humans discovered that the taste of meat could be enhanced with leaves and fruits of plants possessing strong aromas and flavors. Knowledge of the medicinal and nutritional properties of plants was not limited to specific civilizations but was shared across humanity on all continents — notable examples include Chinese, Egyptian, Greek, and Indian civilizations. The first reliable records of spices are found among the Egyptians around 1500 B.C.
At the beginning of our era, the Greek physician Dioscorides compiled the first herbal of medicinal plants. His work significantly influenced European scholars and led to the introduction of numerous exotic herbs and spices in Europe.
In the Middle Ages, ancient superstitions and magical incantations competed on one side with the empirically observed effects of plants on the other. Plants began to be carefully collected and used in the form of infusions, decoctions, or ointments. Following the example of alchemists, distillation was introduced.
At the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century, attention shifted to the active compounds of plants, and attempts began to isolate them. This period marks the emergence of phytotherapy, a therapeutic approach based on the use of plant extracts.
Today, several hundred thousand plant species are known. In general, it can be said that every plant, or its constituent compounds, affects the human body in some way.
Our company is engaged in the development and production of plant extracts, which are primarily used in phytotherapy (cosmetics) and in food flavoring (taste, aroma, and color).
These are liquid extracts prepared from fresh or dried plants using extraction with a suitable solvent, or powdered extracts obtained through spray drying.
Essential Oils and Oleoresins
The choice of extraction solvent and method determines the difference between an essential oil and an oleoresin. They are complex, highly concentrated mixtures of substances used for both internal and external applications. Essential oils are typically produced by steam distillation (in most cases) or cold pressing (from the peel of citrus fruits). They are administered in the form of drops, capsules, ointments, and gels for phytotherapy as well as for food flavoring.