Ivy Extract Powder
Ivy Extract Powder
Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey extraction plants for Ivy Extract Powder, processing the dried leaf of Hedera helix (common ivy) into an extract standardised to 1%-20% Hederacoside C by HPLC. Hederacoside C is a triterpene saponin glycoside and, unlike most botanicals in Mechotech's range that serve primarily nutraceutical or Ayurvedic markets, ivy leaf extract is genuinely one of the most widely used actives in European OTC pharmaceutical cough and bronchial-support syrups — a pharmacopeial, pharma-grade end-use that places a materially higher bar on process validation, documentation, and batch consistency than a typical dietary-supplement ingredient. We supply the complete machinery — leaf cleaning, milling, aqueous-ethanol extraction, filtration, purification, vacuum concentration, closed-loop solvent recovery, standardisation and spray drying — as a single turnkey system built to meet that pharmaceutical-grade bar.
Mechotech's Ivy Extract plant is engineered around Hedera helix leaf's role as a pharmacopeial-grade raw material: because hederacoside C-standardised ivy extract is formulated directly into registered OTC cough and bronchial medicines across European markets, the line is built with tighter in-process control, resin-based purification to manage leaf chlorophyll and wax carryover, and full batch traceability suited to pharmaceutical customers rather than nutraceutical buyers alone. Leaf — a comparatively delicate, high-chlorophyll tissue — is extracted under controlled aqueous-ethanol conditions and purified to remove plant pigments and waxes that would otherwise affect solution clarity and colour in a liquid pharmaceutical dosage form. Built in SS 316L with electropolished product-contact surfaces, closed-loop solvent recovery, and full batch documentation, each plant is delivered as a commissioned, turnkey system that holds the declared 1%-20% Hederacoside C by HPLC specification.
Technical Specifications
| Product | Ivy Extract Powder Extraction Plant |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Hedera helix |
| Raw Material | Dried Hedera helix (ivy) leaf |
| Plant Part | Leaf |
| Extract Type | Standardised saponin extract, spray-dried powder |
| Standardisation | 1%-20% Hederacoside C by HPLC |
| Extraction Method | Aqueous-ethanol extraction with chlorophyll/wax purification (closed jacketed extractors) |
| Product-contact Material | SS 316L, electropolished, CIP-cleanable |
| Filtration System | Plate-and-frame filter press with cartridge polish filtration; resin/activated-carbon purification for chlorophyll and colour control |
| Concentration System | Falling-film vacuum evaporator with solvent recovery |
| Drying System | Spray dryer |
| Automation | Configurable — manual, semi-automatic or fully automatic PLC-SCADA (recipe-based); pharmaceutical-grade batch records available |
| Plant Capacity | Configured to requirement |
| Utility Requirements | Steam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air, soft water, power (project-specific) |
| Compliance | GMP hygienic design; full documentation for qualification |
| Final Product Form | Free-flowing standardised saponin powder |
Plant Capacities
| Plant Scale | Leaf Throughput | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Configured to your feedstock and trial plan | Product development, pharma-grade validation batches |
| Semi-Commercial | Configured between pilot and commercial scale | Contract manufacturing, scale-up trials |
| Commercial | Configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume | Export-grade continuous production for pharmaceutical and nutraceutical buyers |
Capacity is configured to raw leaf supply and confirmed buyer volume; we recommend a pilot plant to validate hederacoside C recovery and pigment-removal parameters before scaling, particularly for pharmaceutical-grade buyers.
Manufacturing Process
Leaf Cleaning & Size Reduction
Dried Hedera helix leaf is authenticated, cleaned of stem and foreign matter, and milled to a uniform particle size — handled more gently than a woody root or bark to avoid excessive chlorophyll release ahead of extraction.
Aqueous-Ethanol Extraction
Milled leaf is charged into closed, jacketed SS 316L extractors and extracted with a controlled aqueous-ethanol solvent system across multiple cycles at regulated temperature, recovering the hederacoside C triterpene saponin fraction.
Filtration
The extract is clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by cartridge polish filters to remove leaf fibre and cellular debris before purification.
Chlorophyll & Wax Purification
A resin or activated-carbon purification stage removes chlorophyll, leaf waxes, and pigments carried over from the leaf matrix — a step calibrated to the higher clarity and colour-consistency standard expected of pharmaceutical-grade ivy extract destined for liquid dosage forms.
Vacuum Concentration & Solvent Recovery
The purified extract is concentrated in a falling-film vacuum evaporator at controlled temperature, with ethanol recovered and recycled through the closed-loop system.
Standardisation
The concentrate is assayed by HPLC for hederacoside C content and adjusted to the declared 1%-20% specification before drying.
Spray Drying & Quality Control
The standardised concentrate is spray-dried to a free-flowing powder with controlled inlet/outlet temperature, then released after HPLC assay, residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial, and moisture testing with full certificate-of-analysis documentation suited to both pharmaceutical and nutraceutical buyers.
Major Plant Equipment
- Leaf cleaning system
- Hammer mill (leaf-calibrated size reduction)
- Stainless-steel jacketed extraction vessels (SS 316L)
- Solvent storage tanks
- Solvent transfer pumps
- Plate-and-frame filter press
- Cartridge polish filters
- Resin / activated-carbon purification column (chlorophyll & wax control)
- Falling-film vacuum evaporator
- Closed-loop solvent recovery system & condensers
- Spray dryer
- CIP (clean-in-place) system
- Finished-product storage tanks
- PLC-SCADA control panel, electrical MCC & instrumentation
Plant Output
Applications
- OTC pharmaceutical cough and bronchial-support syrup formulations (European pharmacopeial use)
- Respiratory-support nutraceutical formulations
- Expectorant herbal syrup and lozenge manufacturing
- Paediatric respiratory-wellness formulations
- Traditional herbal medicine preparations
- Export to regulated pharmaceutical and nutraceutical ingredient buyers
Key Features
Pharmaceutical-Grade Purification
A dedicated chlorophyll/wax purification stage delivers the clarity and colour consistency expected of ivy extract formulated into registered OTC cough and bronchial medicines, a materially higher bar than typical nutraceutical ingredient supply.
Leaf-Matched Size Reduction
Milling parameters are tuned for ivy's delicate leaf tissue, avoiding the excess chlorophyll release that heavier-handed processing would cause.
SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces with CIP operation between batches.
Closed-Loop Solvent Recovery
Integrated condenser-return recovery reuses solvent between batches and reduces solvent loss.
Standardised 1%-20% Assay by HPLC
In-process and batch-release HPLC assay are used to check the finished powder against its declared specification for consistent, buyer-ready quality across the full commercial grade range.
Scalable Batch Capacity
Plants are configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with modular expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ivy Extract used in pharmaceutical products, not just supplements?
What is Ivy Extract Powder, and which plant part is used?
Does Mechotech supply the complete machinery for Ivy Extract Powder?
Why does ivy leaf extraction need a chlorophyll and wax purification step?
What testing method confirms the Ivy Extract Powder specification?
What production capacities are available for the Ivy Extract Powder plant?
Which industries buy Ivy Extract Powder, and does the plant support GMP qualification?
Ready to discuss your project?
Get a free quote and technical consultation from our engineering team.