The Power of Plants! Plant Extracts May Become Innovative Food Ingredients, Improving Food Color And Flavor, Food Safety And Health
Plant extracts rich in active substances may provide food manufacturers with new ideas for developing innovative food products to meet consumer demand for healthier and greener food choices, according to new research. Following a series of studies, researchers anticipate that plant extracts will be used in a wide range of food applications, but food manufacturers should also consider their limitations and challenges.
Enhancing food safety
As plant-based diets become more popular, food formulators are becoming more flexible in their thinking about ingredients. Researchers investigating the use of aqueous and ethanol-water plant extracts in meat products, vegetable oils, pastries, beverages and dairy products have found that antioxidant-rich plant extracts can partially replace or completely displace synthetic antioxidants, avoiding possible safety and health issues with synthetic antioxidants, such as carcinogenicity and other toxicological consequences.

Rosemary extracts are highly sought after in the global food market and are expected to act as oxidative rancidity inhibitors. Meanwhile, Japanese knotweed extract has been found to be an effective alternative to nitrite preservatives, which may help reduce the health risks associated with processed meats.
How to ensure the safety of plant extracts
Once a food manufacturer has selected a particular plant extract, research should be conducted on its properties such as taste, color and potential health benefits to ensure that it is the most suitable for its product. All potential risks and adverse effects of the extract should also be analyzed. Subsequently, the regulatory requirements of the target market for food products containing plant extracts should also be verified.
Another important step is stability testing, which observes how the botanical extract in the food product behaves under the influence of factors such as time, light, heat, and pH. Attention also needs to be paid to how the plant extracts are combined with other ingredients during the production of the product and the processing methods.
Finally, manufacturers also need to conduct sensory testing of their new products to determine how plant extracts affect characteristics such as flavor and appearance of the food product.
Growing Market Demand for Botanical Ingredients
Global launches of supplements and sports nutrition products containing botanical ingredients are growing at a whopping 32% annually from 2017 to 2021, with Europe leading the way, followed by North America. Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about their health and are increasingly looking at natural ingredients in food. The demand for plant extracts in food is expected to increase in the coming years.
In addition, the use of plant extracts in food products will also enhance the marketability of the food products and add value to the products. The current trend of plant-based diets and vegetarianism is also expected to drive the demand for plant extracts. Studies have identified the presence of different active phenolic compounds in plants and their antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties.
Of course, the demand for plant extracts will also depend on factors such as price, quality, and availability of plant extracts. Ensuring consistency in the quality and cost of extracts may be challenging as the plant source and extraction method affect the concentration and composition of the active substances in plant extracts.