Now Open! The first prototype herbal extraction and products manufacturing factory in the lower northern region is now available to serve the private sector in extracting essential substances from herbs and nature (including cannabis and hemp), which meet standard quality for functional ingredient purposes in producing health and cosmetic products to compete in the global market.
Thai herbs are valuable national resources due to their high potential. They are not only beneficial for treatment and alleviation of illnesses but also increasingly popular as functional ingredients or nutraceuticals ingredients in various types of products, such as food, beverages, cosmetics, and various dietary supplements, to enhance nutritional benefits and promote health, especially in the vitamin and mineral group, fatty acids, proteins, hyaluronic acid, fibers, and plant extracts, which are highly popular in today’s era. This trend is driven by consumers’ increasing understanding of health care, disease prevention, focusing on alternative foods rather than therapeutic drugs, and body maintenance, replacing synthetic substances and various current drugs that are expensive and have more side effects on the body. Consequently, the herbal extraction market is continuously expanding both domestically and internationally.
However, the export of Thai herbal extracts has not significantly increased due to issues regarding the quality of raw herbs used and standards of the extraction process. Currently, there are increasing players in the market, mainly SMEs and startups with know-how in developing new products utilizing herbal extracts as functional components to differentiate and add value to their products. Nevertheless, there is still a lack of facilities to help push these products to pass quality certification and scale up production to an industrial level for export to the global market. This is because ensuring the quality standard of herbal extractions requires high-quality raw materials, certified extraction equipment, which are costly and become a burden for entrepreneurs. Additionally, efficient inventory management is necessary to prevent shortages or excess stocks leading to unnecessary expenses (item cost), ultimately resulting in higher prices for products/services.
Program Management Unit for Competitiveness (PMUC) recognizes the potential of Thai herbs to be utilized for the country’s economic competitiveness. Therefore, it has provided funding support for the development of prototype factories for the production of natural extracts meeting international standards. This support is extended to the research of cosmetic formulations and natural products by the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Naresuan University, to advance production and quality control of high-value functional components and natural extracts at an industrial level. Moreover, these prototype factories serve as venues for education and technological advancement in the production of natural extracts from laboratory scale to industrial level, as well as for the transfer of production technology and quality control of functional components and natural extracts to both the public and private sectors. This initiative aligns with research policies, fosters innovation, and enhances competitiveness to support strategic industries and lay the groundwork for BCG economic development.
The Prototype Factory for Herbal Extracts and Products at Naresuan University has been authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and has begun servicing the private sector. The factory operates a one-stop service system for both public and private sector researchers, including laboratory facilities or scientific equipment services, extraction services, testing and analysis, such as microbiological testing, sun protection testing, biochemical testing, stability testing, physical properties testing, as well as the development of cosmetic and health products, and market research for commercialization. Additionally, it offers consultation services through social media channels, telephone, and face-to-face consultations, along with inventory management services to control products with expiry dates. The factory employs faculty members and expert teams who can assist entrepreneurs in extracting standardized extracts with quality assurance in terms of physical properties, chemical composition, counterfeit and adulteration detection, consistency in extraction, energy consumption, time efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and feasibility studies for industrial extraction. Furthermore, this prototype factory is the first in the northern region to develop standardized methods for extracting marijuana and hemp to obtain functional ingredients for competitive product development in the global market. The factory emphasizes business operations through differentiation strategies to provide customers with extra benefits and increase competitiveness against competitors while maintaining business confidentiality and data security to build customer trust. It offers outstanding services focused on convenience and convenience and utilizes situational management principles to choose appropriate methods to ensure business survival in the ever-changing global economic landscape.
Thailand has a comparative advantage in being a diverse source of herbs. Therefore, there should be efforts to develop the capability in producing high-quality herbal extracts to obtain functional ingredients for product creation, reducing imports from other countries. High-quality herbal extracts come from efficient and standardized extraction processes. The Department of Industrial Promotion (DIP) thus has a concept to support funding for infrastructure to establish prototype herbal extraction factories at universities in various regions. This is to study, transfer knowledge, and technology in standardized extraction processes and provide services to the private sector. The aim is to create opportunities for Thai entrepreneurs to accelerate research and development of non-food herbal products, beauty products, and dietary supplements. Elevating the standard of herbal extract production in Thailand to international levels, being accurate and fast, to compete globally.
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Telephone: 055-96 8655, 055-96 8801, 061-490 7663
E-mail: cosnat@nu.ac.th
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