From Impossible Foods to Naturex: How International Brands Are Innovating with Plant Extracts

Recently, a functional drink with astragalus extract has attracted a lot of attention in the market. Not only does this product taste refreshing, it also claims to boost immunity and fight fatigue. The popularity of this innovative health food is a typical case of plant extracts playing an important role in the research and development of big health food. In this article, we will delve into the current situation of R&D of big health food, the application trend of plant extracts, the market prospect as well as the opportunities and challenges for local brands.

Traditionally, health food is mostly based on single vitamin or mineral supplements. Nowadays, the concept of health food has been expanded to include functional food, nutritionally fortified food and special dietary food. Among them, the application of plant extracts has become a major highlight. These products usually adopt advanced extraction processes, such as supercritical CO2 extraction and molecular distillation technology, in order to maximise the retention of the active ingredients in plants. However, plant extract health foods currently on the market still face technical challenges such as low bioavailability and poor stability, requiring further innovative breakthroughs.

In the international market, many well-known brands are actively developing innovative products based on plant extracts. For example, Impossible Foods of the United States has developed plant-based meat using soy haemoglobin extracts, which is not only close to real meat in terms of taste and nutrition, but also greatly reduces the environmental burden. On the other hand, Naturex of France has launched a range of natural plant colour extracts that provide safe and healthy colouring options for the food industry.

According to market research organisations, the global plant extracts market is expected to grow steadily in the coming years. This growth is mainly driven by consumer preference for natural and organic products and the wide range of applications of plant extracts in various sectors such as food, nutraceuticals and cosmetics.

Among the many emerging applications, melatonin extracts are attracting attention. The melatonin gummies launched by Natrol in the US, which utilise cherry extract as a natural source to help improve sleep quality, have gained widespread consumer acclaim. Another example is Japan's Yamamoto Hanbo Pharmaceutical, whose green tea extract capsules are popular in the Asian market for their blend of traditional oriental herbal wisdom and modern extraction techniques.

These brands not only focus on product innovation, but also actively promote sustainable development. For example, Naturex has pledged to achieve a 100 per cent traceable supply chain of botanical ingredients by 2030, reflecting its focus on environmental protection and social responsibility.

China has rich plant resources and a long tradition of herbal medicine, providing a unique advantage for local big health food brands. However, it remains a major challenge to organically combine traditional wisdom with modern technology to develop innovative products that meet the needs of modern people as well as have cultural characteristics.

Looking ahead, the application of plant extracts in the research and development of major health foods will become more extensive and in-depth. Screening of plant active ingredients based on histological technology, new delivery systems to improve bioavailability, and synergistic application of multiple plant extracts are all expected to become new focuses of the industry.

For brands, strengthening cooperation between industry, academia and research, establishing standardised and large-scale planting bases, improving the greening of the extraction process, and strengthening the protection of intellectual property rights will be the key to success in this field.