Plant - St.John's Wort
Plant - St.John's Wort
Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey natural colour extraction plants for St. John’s wort. In the Mechotech catalogue, Plant - St.John's Wort is listed in the Red Colour group, together with Vegetables - Raddish / Red Cabbage / Strawberry / Beetroot, Flowers - Hibiscus, Fruit - Avacado, Roots - Maddar, Berries - Sumac, Wood - Brazil Wood and Bark - Sycamore. Mechotech’s article on St. John’s wort and larkspur names the plant as Hypericum perforatum and describes its flowering tops as a source of yellow flavonoid dye, with a red-pigmented compound, hypericin, in the dark flower glands. The article is about yellow colour, and no source says what red shade the Red Colour listing refers to, so the target shade is confirmed with the client. A separate legacy herbal page describes the flowering tops for a hypericin-standardised extract.
Mechotech’s Plant - St.John's Wort plant is configured around the raw material and the target colour extract. It is built in SS 316L with integrated solvent recovery, automation and full documentation, and is delivered as a commissioned turnkey system. The article describes hot-water extraction of the chopped flowering tops below boiling, with cooler, gentler handling favouring a clear yellow and more vigorous extraction drawing out darker constituents, followed by gentle vacuum concentration and drying under limited heat and oxygen. The solvent, conditions and target shade are established during process development and pilot validation.
Technical Specifications
| Product | Plant - St.John's Wort Natural Colour Extraction Plant |
|---|---|
| Raw Material | St. John’s wort flowering tops (catalogue name: Plant - St.John's Wort) |
| Botanical Name | Hypericum perforatum (per Mechotech’s article and its legacy St. John’s wort extract page) |
| Plant Part / Feed Form | Flowering tops gathered at full bloom, fresh or shade-dried (per the article); chopped before extraction; exact feed form confirmed with the client |
| Colour Group | Red Colour (see the Red Colour page) |
| Colour-forming Components | Yellow flavonoids and flavonols, including quercetin and kaempferol glycosides, and the red-pigmented compound hypericin in the dark flower glands (per the article) |
| Process Category | Natural Colour Extraction Plants |
| Extract Type | Natural colour extract (liquid concentrate or dried powder, per specification) |
| Extraction Method | Closed jacketed SS 316L extraction at controlled temperature; hot water below boiling is the route the article describes, with route and solvent confirmed during process development |
| Product-contact Material | SS 316L |
| Filtration System | Plate-and-frame filter press with cartridge polish filters |
| Concentration System | Falling-film / vacuum evaporator with solvent recovery where a solvent is used |
| Drying System | Spray or vacuum dryer, where a powder is required |
| Automation | PLC-based |
| Plant Capacity | Configured to requirement |
| Utility Requirements | Steam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air and power (project-specific) |
| Compliance | GMP hygienic design; full documentation for qualification |
| Final Product Form | Natural colour extract (red colour group) |
Plant Capacities
| Plant Scale | Raw Material Throughput | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Configured to your feedstock and trial plan | Product development, parameter validation |
| Semi-Commercial | Configured between pilot and commercial scale | Scale-up trials, contract manufacturing |
| Commercial | Configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume | Commercial production |
Capacity is configured to raw-material supply, confirmed buyer volume and investment timeline; a pilot plant is recommended to validate parameters before scaling.
Manufacturing Process
Raw Material Preparation
St. John’s wort flowering tops are authenticated, tested for moisture and chopped. The article gathers the tops at full bloom, when flavonoid content peaks, and uses them fresh or shade-dried out of direct sun to preserve the pigments.
Extraction
The chopped tops are extracted in closed jacketed SS 316L vessels at controlled temperature over several cycles. The article describes simmering in water below boiling to dissolve the flavonoid glycosides into the liquor; gentler or cooler handling favours a clear yellow, while more vigorous extraction can draw out more of the darker constituents. The solvent and conditions are set during process development.
Filtration
The extract is separated from the spent material and clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by cartridge polish filters.
Concentration & Solvent Recovery
The extract is concentrated in a falling-film / vacuum evaporator, with solvent recovered through the condenser return system where a solvent is used. The article describes gentle vacuum concentration with limited oxygen, because the polyphenol pigments dull if over-heated or exposed to air.
Standardisation
The concentrate is assayed and adjusted to the declared target colour or marker strength, which the article says extract grades are standardised to. The balance between the yellow flavonoids and the red hypericin shifts the hue with how the plant is processed, so conditions are held consistent between batches.
Drying & Quality Control
The standardised extract is supplied as a liquid concentrate or spray- or vacuum-dried to a powder, per specification, then released after assay, residual-solvent (where a solvent is used), heavy-metal, microbial and moisture testing.
Major Plant Equipment
- Raw material cleaning, authentication and moisture testing
- Size-reduction system
- Closed jacketed SS 316L extraction vessels
- Solvent storage tanks
- Plate-and-frame filter press
- Cartridge polish filtration
- Falling-film / vacuum evaporator
- Solvent recovery unit and condensers
- Standardisation / blending vessel
- Spray or vacuum dryer
- CIP system
- Automation and instrumentation
Plant Output
Applications
- Natural colour and dye ingredient supply
- Natural textile dyeing of wool and silk, the main use the article describes (heritage, craft and natural-fashion markets)
- Cosmetic and personal-care colour applications
- Colour and botanical-extract supply from the same feedstock, where the line is also configured for a standardised herbal extract (per the article)
Key Features
SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces with CIP operation between batches.
Dual-Pigment Feedstock
The article notes the flowering tops carry both yellow flavonoids and the red compound hypericin, and that processing shifts the balance of hue.
Gentle, Oxygen-Limited Processing
Controlled temperature and limited oxygen keep the extracted polyphenol pigments clean and bright.
Standardised to Specification
In-process and batch-release assay are used to check the finished extract against the agreed target specification, such as shade and colour strength.
Scalable Batch Capacity
Plants are configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with modular expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Mechotech supply the complete machinery for Plant - St.John's Wort?
What specification can the Plant - St.John's Wort plant achieve?
What production capacities are available for the Plant - St.John's Wort plant?
Which industries use the Plant - St.John's Wort plant?
Which part of St. John’s wort is processed?
Does St. John’s wort give a red colour?
What pigments are in St. John’s wort?
How is this colour page different from the herbal extract?
How does this page differ from the St. John’s wort / larkspur page?
Where does this page sit in the red colour range?
Ready to discuss your project?
Get a free quote and technical consultation from our engineering team.