The highly concentrated, bioactive ingredients are well suited for use as an additive for food supplements and in cosmetics with anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and / or antimicrobial effects. The use in baby care or skincare products for sensitive skin has been established as safe for over 20 years, as we are constantly monitoring our raw material.
Bioactive ingredients through gentle CO2 extraction
Chamomile flowers contain 0.4 – 2.0% essential oil, which mainly contains the sesquiterpenes α-bisabolol, bisabolol oxide, α- and β-farneses, spathulenol, and matricin. With other extraction methods, e.g. steam distillation, matricin decomposes to blue chamazulene. This process is minimized through CO2 extraction, thusly producing a green-brown extract.
In particular, α-bisabolol gives chamomile oil its anti-inflammatory, calming and regenerative effects. The carefully produced chamomile CO2 extracts can also have an antimicrobial effect as they contain cis-trans isomers of the en-in-dicycloether (spiroether), which belong to the chemical group of polyines.The allergenic sesquiterpene lactone anthecotulid is not a component of German chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla), but of wild chamomile (Anthemis cotula). Flavex tests every chamomile CO2 extract batch for anthecotulide, to assure that it is free from contamination.
High quality chamomile CO2 extracts through controlled cultivation of special seeds
The cultivation of chamomile requires a high level of expertise from sowing, to crop care, to harvesting. Flavex Naturextrakte has been working with selected growers in Western and Central Europe, in order to obtain the best quality of chamomile flowers. For years, Flavex has been investing in breeding specially selected chamomile seeds, which have a high-quality ingredient profile, especially a high α-bisabolol content. We store the seeds in a cool place under strictly controlled conditions in order to increase their germination capacity, and send them exclusively to our growers.The various cultivation locations in Western and Central Europe offer the best soil and climatic conditions for the demanding chamomile culture. Chamomile prefers sandy soils and a warm but not too dry climate.
The correct harvesting and drying techniques contribute significantly to the quality of the obtained chamomile flowers. The flower heads are plucked with a special picking machine to minimize stem and leaf content. In order to protect noteworthy volatile molecules as much as possible, a controlled low temperature drying process is required to obtain minimal residual moisture in the raw material.
The dried flowers are transported back to Flavex for processing via short transport routes, helping us to take a step further to reach our climate change protection goals.
Flavex’s annual supply of consistently high quality seeds to our growers and their cultivation and harvesting expertise developed over the years have created a mutually trusting and profitable relationship.
