Valeriana Officinalis Extract
Valeriana Officinalis Extract
Purity Levels
Valerenic Acids By HPLC 0.8%
Mechotech designs and manufactures turnkey herbal extraction plants for Valerian (Valeriana officinalis), standardised to Valerenic Acids By HPLC 0.8%. The root and rhizome of Valeriana officinalis carry its characteristic sesquiterpenic actives — principally valerenic acid and related valerenic-acid derivatives, alongside valepotriates — which form the basis of modern pharmacopeial standardisation for sleep-support and calming botanical extracts. We supply the complete machinery — root cleaning, milling, hydro-alcoholic extraction, filtration, vacuum concentration, closed-loop solvent recovery, standardisation and drying — to process dried Valerian root into a consistent extract for the nutraceutical and pharmaceutical industries.
Mechotech's Valerian plant is engineered around the specific chemistry of Valeriana officinalis root: valerenic acid and its related sesquiterpenes are moderately volatile and heat-sensitive, so controlled hydro-alcoholic extraction at regulated temperature is used to maximise recovery while limiting loss of the characteristic actives during concentration. Built in SS 316L with electropolished product-contact surfaces, PLC-SCADA automation and full documentation, each plant is delivered as a commissioned turnkey system engineered to the Valerenic Acids By HPLC 0.8% specification.
Technical Specifications
| Product | Valerian (Valeriana Officinalis) Extraction Plant |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Valeriana officinalis |
| Raw Material | Dried Valerian root and rhizome |
| Plant Part | Root/rhizome |
| Extract Type | Standardised dry extract (powder) |
| Standardisation | Valerenic Acids By HPLC 0.8% |
| Extraction Method | Hydro-alcoholic solvent extraction (closed, jacketed SS 316L extractors), low-temperature regulated |
| Product-contact Material | SS 316L, electropolished, CIP-cleanable |
| Filtration System | Plate-and-frame filter press with cartridge polish filtration |
| Concentration System | Falling-film / vacuum evaporator with closed-loop solvent recovery |
| Drying System | Spray dryer or vacuum tray dryer |
| Automation | PLC-SCADA with recipe management, batch traceability and production reporting |
| Plant Capacity | Configured to requirement |
| Utility Requirements | Steam, chilled/cooling water, compressed air, soft water, power (project-specific) |
| Compliance | GMP, HACCP hygienic design; full documentation for qualification |
| Final Product Form | Free-flowing standardised extract powder |
Plant Capacities
| Plant Scale | Root Throughput | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot | Configured to your feedstock and trial plan | Product development, parameter validation |
| 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 |
Capacity is configured to raw-material supply and confirmed buyer volume; we recommend a pilot plant to validate parameters before scaling.
Manufacturing Process
Root Cleaning & Size Reduction
Dried Valerian roots and rhizomes are cleaned to remove soil and foreign matter, then milled to a uniform particle size to maximise solvent permeability before extraction.
Low-Temperature Hydro-Alcoholic Extraction
Milled root is charged into closed, jacketed SS 316L extraction vessels and extracted with a controlled hydro-alcoholic solvent system under regulated, moderate temperature and multiple cycles to maximise recovery of valerenic acid and related sesquiterpenes while limiting their loss to volatilisation.
Solid-Liquid Separation & Filtration
The extract slurry is clarified through a plate-and-frame filter press followed by cartridge polish filters, achieving high clarification with minimal product loss.
Vacuum Concentration
The filtered miscella is concentrated in a falling-film / vacuum evaporator under reduced pressure to preserve the heat- and volatility-sensitive actives during solvent removal.
Solvent Recovery
A closed-loop recovery system condenses and recycles the extraction solvent back into production.
Standardisation
The concentrate is assayed by HPLC and adjusted to the declared Valerenic Acids By HPLC 0.8% specification before drying.
Drying & Quality Control
The standardised Valerian extract is spray- or vacuum-tray dried at controlled low temperature to a free-flowing powder, then released after HPLC assay, residual-solvent, heavy-metal, microbial, and moisture testing with full certificate-of-analysis documentation.
Major Plant Equipment
- Raw material cleaning system
- Hammer mill (size reduction)
- Stainless-steel hydro-alcoholic extraction vessels (jacketed, SS 316L)
- Solvent storage tanks
- Solvent transfer pumps
- Plate heat exchangers
- Plate-and-frame filter press / pressure leaf filter
- Cartridge polish filters
- Falling-film / vacuum evaporator
- Closed-loop solvent recovery system
- Condensers & vacuum pumps
- Spray dryer / vacuum tray dryer
- CIP (clean-in-place) system
- PLC-SCADA control panel, electrical MCC & instrumentation
Plant Output
Applications
- Sleep-support and calming nervine supplement formulations
- Pharmaceutical standardised ingredient supply
- Nutraceutical capsule, tablet, and supplement manufacturing
- Combination formulations with other calming botanicals such as Passiflora
- Functional food and beverage applications
- Traditional herbal medicine preparations
- Export to regulated-market ingredient buyers
Key Features
GMP Hygienic SS 316L Construction
Electropolished SS 316L product-contact surfaces use GMP hygienic design, with CIP operation between batches.
Closed-Loop Solvent Recovery
Integrated recovery returns solvent for reuse each batch, reducing fresh-solvent consumption.
Low-Temperature Processing
Regulated extraction and vacuum drying temperatures limit volatilisation losses of the sensitive valerenic-acid sesquiterpenes.
Standardised to Specification
In-process and batch-release HPLC assay are used to check the finished Valerian extract against its declared Valerenic Acids By HPLC 0.8% specification.
Integrated Drying
A matched spray/vacuum dryer produces a free-flowing, low-moisture powder ready for encapsulation and blending.
Scalable Batch Capacity
Plants are configured to requirement from pilot scale upward, with modular expansion.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as Mechotech's Valerian distillation plant?
Does Mechotech supply the complete machinery for Valerian extraction?
Which plant part and marker compound is used to standardise Valerian extract?
What specification can the Valerian plant achieve?
What extraction method is used, and how much solvent is recovered?
Is Valerian extract often produced alongside Passionflower?
What production capacities are available for the Valerian plant?
Which industries use the Valerian plant, and does the plant support GMP qualification?
Ready to discuss your project?
Get a free quote and technical consultation from our engineering team.