Sea Buckthorn Berry Extract

Sea buckthorn berry extract is produced from the ripe fruit of Hippophae rhamnoides L., a thorny nitrogen-fixing shrub of the family Elaeagnaceae. Several subspecies are recognised, among them subsp. turkestanica, subsp. mongolica, subsp. carpatica and subsp. rhamnoides; the Indian resource sits in the cold desert of Ladakh, in Himachal Pradesh and in parts of Uttarakhand, roughly between 2,500 and 4,500 m. The commercial value of the berry is in its flavonol fraction. Isorhamnetin is the single most abundant flavonol of the fruit, and isorhamnetin derivatives — chiefly isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-rutinoside and isorhamnetin-3-O-glucoside-7-O-rhamnoside — have been reported to account for over 65% of total flavonols, with rutin, quercetin and kaempferol glycosides making up most of the balance. Thovek standardises on total flavonoids by UV expressed as rutin at 5%, 10% and 20%, and against HPLC with isorhamnetin (C16H12O7, MW 316.26, CAS 480-19-3) or quercetin as the named marker where a buyer's specification calls for one. Only destemmed ripe berry enters the batch; leaf, thorn and residual seed cake are excluded, and identity is confirmed lot by lot with HPTLC and an HPLC flavonol fingerprint. Extraction runs on water and food-grade ethanol, and the extract is offered native, typically 10:1 to 20:1 on dry berry, or standardised on a declared maize maltodextrin or acacia gum carrier. Three sea buckthorn articles must be kept apart on the purchase order, because they are different goods with different specifications and different tariff treatment: this flavonoid extract; sea buckthorn pulp and seed oils, which are fixed oils and carry palmitoleic acid (omega-7) reported in the pulp fraction anywhere from about 16% to 54% depending on subspecies and pressing; and spray-dried juice or whole-fruit powder, which is a fruit preparation rather than an extract. Fresh berry is a well documented vitamin C source at roughly 400 mg per 100 g, but ascorbate is heat- and oxygen-labile through extraction and drying, so Thovek does not carry a vitamin C figure on the standard grade — a separately assayed vitamin C grade has to be ordered as such. The extract is vegan and vegetarian and of plant origin only, with no milk, egg, soy, fish, crustacean or nut input at any stage, and it is gluten-free. Despite the common name, sea buckthorn is not related to the Rhamnus buckthorns and the fruit is a berry, not a tree nut, so it carries no tree-nut allergen status; where a carrier is used it is maize- or acacia-derived and is named on the specification so the buyer's allergen matrix stays accurate. The powder is hygroscopic and its carotenoid pigments are light- and oxygen-sensitive, so it should be held cool, dry and in the original sealed liner, and formulators should expect an orange to tan cast in pale bases. Thovek publishes composition and food-technology data only; any nutrition or health claim carried on the finished pack is the brand owner's responsibility under the rules of the destination market.