With the growing global demand for natural plant extracts, their quality control has become a focus of foreign trade companies. A complete testing process can not only ensure that the products meet international standards, but also enhance market competitiveness. This article will introduce the testing process of plant extracts in detail to help related companies better control product quality.
Sample collection and pretreatment
The first step of the test is sample collection. To ensure the representativeness of the test results, samples must be randomly selected from different batches and their storage conditions must meet the requirements to avoid light, high temperature or humid environment affecting the stability of the ingredients. The collected samples need to be pretreated, including crushing, sieving or homogenization, for subsequent analysis.
Physical and chemical index testing
Physical and chemical indicators are the basic testing items for plant extracts, including moisture content, ash content, heavy metal residues, etc. Moisture content testing usually uses the drying method to ensure that the product dryness meets the standard; ash content testing evaluates inorganic salt residues; heavy metal testing (such as lead, arsenic, mercury) is completed by atomic absorption spectroscopy or ICP-MS technology to ensure product safety.
Active ingredient analysis
The core value of plant extracts lies in their active ingredients, such as flavonoids, polyphenols or volatile oils. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gas chromatography (GC) are commonly used analytical methods to accurately determine the content of target ingredients. In addition, UV-visible spectrophotometry can also be used for rapid screening of total phenols or total flavonoids.
Microbial testing
To ensure product hygiene and safety, microbial testing is essential. The main test items include total colony count, Escherichia coli, mold and yeast. The use of culture method or PCR technology can quickly determine whether there is pathogenic bacteria contamination, which meets food or drug grade standards.
Stability and packaging testing
The stability of plant extracts directly affects the shelf life. Accelerated stability tests simulate long-term storage effects in high temperature and high humidity environments to evaluate the degradation of ingredients. At the same time, the sealing and barrier properties of packaging materials also need to be tested to prevent oxidation or moisture absorption.
A complete testing process is the core competitiveness of plant extracts in foreign trade. Companies need to develop strict quality control systems in accordance with international standards (such as ISO, USP or EP) to ensure that their products enter the global market safely and efficiently.
