Extraction route decides what stays in the extract
The extraction route sets which actives, co-actives and impurities survive into the finished powder. In our catalog, green tea is produced by aqueous ethanol extraction of Camellia sinensis leaf followed by membrane filtration, concentration and spray drying; natural borneol is obtained by steam distillation of fresh Cinnamomum camphora leaf and young branch followed by recrystallization; nattokinase is made by natto fermentation and enzyme powder processing rather than solvent extraction at all. The route is a specification, not a footnote — ask for it by name.
Water and ethanol are the workhorses
Most botanical actives in our line are produced by water/ethanol extraction: Gastrodia tuber, Eucommia leaf (chlorogenic acid purification), bamboo leaf flavonoids, Polygonatum rhizome, Panax ginseng root, and Curcuma longa rhizome (extraction, purification, granulation or water-soluble processing by SKU). Ethanol pulls a broader, more lipophilic profile; water keeps the extract cleaner with a lighter residual-solvent load. Choose the route that matches the target active and your residue budget.
Read the extraction method on the spec sheet and COA
Beyond the active-marker assay, a useful specification states the extraction solvent(s), the concentration route, and any residual-solvent limits. For osmanthus, the spec calls out solvent/water extraction of the fresh flower followed by concentration and spray-drying, with the absolute obtained by petroleum-ether/ethanol extraction and de-waxing — which is why residual-solvent testing matters for that material. Suppliers should state the route against the delivered form, not copy a generic line from a catalog.
Solvent choice links to solubility and the final matrix
The extraction route predicts how the finished extract behaves in your formula. Water/ethanol extracts tend toward water- or ethanol-soluble powders; oil-soluble carotenoids such as lycopene are produced by tomato-derived carotenoid processing with a carrier system chosen by grade (water-soluble or oil-soluble). Match the extraction route to your dose form — beverage, tablet, dry mix or oil blend — so the material disperses instead of separating.
Put the route and residue limits in the RFQ
A complete RFQ states the required extraction route (or acceptable alternatives), the marker and assay method, and residual-solvent and heavy-metal limits. This lets the supplier confirm the right route instead of shipping a generic grade whose solvent profile fails your clean-label or regulatory target. State it explicitly so quotation and sample match your process.