What is Plant Extraction?
The process of plant extraction is a way of taking certain parts of a plant and extracting certain elements from them to use in other businesses and industries. Extraction processes can take form in a liquid-liquid or liquid-solid extraction. Plant extraction normally takes form in a liquid-solid extraction process. The extraction process works in a way that the plant is placed in a solvent to extract the parts necessary for the particular extract they want.
Some plant extractions require multiple steps depending upon whether is it a powder or liquid form extract. Normally the use of extracts in the food industry does not require extra steps to achieve the right extract. Food industry extracts are normally liquids though, for other uses, extracts are powders and require more steps to complete the extraction process.
Types of Plant Extraction Methods
Since plant extraction can have liquid and solid forms, there are many ways in which plant parts are extracted for industrial and commercial uses some of these are:
- Liquid-Solid Extraction
- Liquid-Liquid Extraction
- Acid/Base Extraction
- Infusion
- Soxhlet Extraction
- Superficial Extraction
- Ultrasound Extraction
- Microwave-assisted Extraction
All these different methods of extraction are somewhat similar but also very different at the same time. Like microwave-assisted extraction, for instance, it uses heat like liquid-solid extractions but is used more so in the extraction of plants like cannabis which is used for medical purposes. This extraction way is best for this kind of extraction. All extractions methods can work, but some are better for certain kinds of plants than others.
Plant Extraction at Home
Surprisingly, you can make herbal extracts at home if you have herbs readily available to you. For a common recipe to work with extracts at home you can visit here. It’s a good test to see how you can make extracts in small amounts to get a taste of how industries make extracts on a larger scale.
Looking for Solvents?
Here at Extraction Grade Solvents, we provide the materials for successful plant extractions. For more information on the solvents we provide and how we can help you contact us here!