Capsules, cereal bars, smoothies, reconstituted drinks, many products build their success on using botanical powders. Why such a keen interest in this ingredient? What are the advantages of a botanical powder? Let’s check out its advantages from the perspective of R&D, purchasing, regulatory and marketing services.

1. The advantages of botanical powder, from the R&D perspective

A botanical powder can offer advantages as of the first product development step. It is oftentimes considered to be the best manner to take advantage of plant resources. The vegetal matrix is preserved. All the constituents are found in the end product. This is a significant advantage for the active ingredient’s bioavailability and effectiveness, particularly due to the synergetic potential of phytoactives.

Nowadays, many R&D departments working into the nutraceutical industry are seeking to eliminate the maximum amount of additives in their formulations. Botanical powders are a leading choice because of the advantage of needing no carrier agents. It is for example possible to avoid using the over-the-last- few-years controversial additive, maltodextrin.

2. Botanical powder scrutinised by purchasers

The advantages of botanical powder can then be analysed by the purchasing department. The first observation is fairly similar to the R&D department’s: effectiveness and bioavailability of active components in botanical powders gives the ingredients a good position in the sourcing process. These ingredients are available at a favourable rate for the development of new products.

Botanical powder is likewise part of a responsible purchasing policy. The manufacturing process botanical powder has few steps and is energy efficient while reducing its carbon footprint. No chemical substances are required. Physical treatments suffice and produce time tested healthy products.

3. Regulatory services’ opinion on botanical powders

Another advantage of botanical powders for regulatory services is their ancestral use, as they have been used for thousands of years. Thousands of publications on the subject can be found in scientific literature. New results coming out every month support their usage by the nutraceutical industry!

Public health authorities base their decisions on this research. This amounts to saying that botanical powders are unquestionably reference ingredients in phytotherapy. These products are clearly in line with regulations dealing with dietary supplements.

4. The marketing advantages of botanical powder

Finally, the different advantages raised in this article are also pluses for the marketing sector. Botanical powders are subject to little processing and are 100% natural. Their ancestral use gives consumers a positive image. This approach responds to clients seeking a healthy lifestyle with these end products while benefitting from proven market added value and adding value to the end products.

>> Supply chain marketing: how to convey your values on your products?

Overall, botanical powders are associated with the notion of naturalness, which is an important criteria at the time of purchase. Base on a TNS survey carried out in 2012, 80% of consumers express strong interest in seeking naturalness in the food sector.

You would like to learn more about the advantages of botanical powders? Download our free ebook!

Source : Ministry of Agriculture, Search for naturality - Dietary Habits in 2025 « Comportements alimentaires en 2025 » - Trends and Impacts « Tendances et Impacts », December 2016.