Introduction
Misunderstandings on what plant-to-extract ratios signify are common. These ratios are often thought to indicate the amount of active ingredient present or the purity of the extract. These are both common misinterpretations of plant-to-extract ratio’s. This blog post will tell you more about what these plant-to-extract ratios actually mean.
Definition
Definition & interpretation
Plant-to-extract ratios indicate the amount of material extracted from plant biomass relative to the starting amount of plant material. In other words, it describes the amount of raw material used to produce the extract. Within the extract ratio (X:Y), X refers to the amount of raw material used to produce the final product (Y). How can this be interpreted? For example, if an extract has a plant-to-extract ratio of 10:1, it means that 10 kg of raw material was used to produce 1 kg of the end product.
In reality, extraction yields can vary between batches, so ratios are often presented as a range. A ratio of 6-8:1 means that from 100 kg of starting material, 12.5 kg (8:1) to 16.7 kg (6:1) of extract is produced.
High ratios
Higher extract ratio means a stronger extract?
No, this is a common misconception. A higher extract ratio simply means that more starting material was required to produce the extract. The strength or concentration of an extract depends on the amount of the active ingredient in the starting material and how much of this ingredient is extracted. The extraction process and the solvents used determine this, but the extract ratio alone does not indicate the strength of the extract.
Purity
Purity of extracts
The plant-to-extract ratio indicates the concentration of plant material in an extract but does not measure its purity. A 10:1 ratio suggests a higher concentration, but not necessarily a higher purity. Purity, however, refers to the absence of contaminants and is determined through methods like chromatography. While a higher ratio suggests a more concentrated extract, it doesn’t ensure purity, which must be assessed separately. Both concentration and purity are important quality parameters and need independent evaluation.
Finished vs Native
Finished Extracts versus 100% Native Extracts
It is important to differentiate between finished extracts containing excipients and 100% native extracts by considering finished extract ratios. For instance, if 4 kg of starting material is needed to produce 1 kg of native extract, the Plant to Extract ratio is 4:1. Adding 1 kg of carrier to each kg of native extract doubles the total finished extract. While the starting material to native extract ratio remains 4:1, the finished extract now contains 0.5 kg of native extract and 0.5 kg of excipients, resulting in a Plant to (finished) Extract ratio of 2:1. Without disclosing the percentage of native extract or excipients, a Plant to Extract ratio of 2:1 for the finished extract might misleadingly suggest a higher extraction yield than the original 4:1 ratio. Thus, accurate calculations of extract starting material equivalents require information on the percentages of native extract and excipients in the finished extract.
Active Ingredients
What about the amount of active ingredient?
When using or buying an extract, you might want to know the amount of active ingredient. This can be calculated from the percentage of active ingredient. For example, a 10:1 extract with 90% active ingredients, means that 1kg of extract contains 0.9 kg of the active ingredient. The 10:1 ratio tells us that producing 1kg of extract required 10kg of raw material.
We Advise on Extract ratios
Plant-to-extract ratios (X:Y) express the amount of raw material (X) used to produce a final extract (Y). Extraction yields can vary, so ratios may be presented as ranges. From the plant-to-extract ratios, no conclusions can be drawn regarding the strength and purity of the extract, nor the amount of active ingredient.
References
References
Monagas, M., Brendler, T., Brinckmann, J., Dentali, S., Gafner, S., Giancaspro, G., Johnson, H., Kababick, J., Ma, C., Oketch-Rabah, H., Pais, P., Sarma, N., & Marles, R. (2022). Understanding plant to extract ratios in botanical extracts. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.981978
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