DER standardization

All over the world, there are all sorts of standards and standardization processes that apply to both drugs and other preparations - including herbal ones. One of the most important issues in this case is DER standardization.

Drug Extract Ratio (DER) is a measure of the effectiveness of the process of extracting pharmaceuticals from plants. The higher the DER, the more active ingredients are extracted from the plant material. This value is important in the pharmaceutical industry because it affects the cost of production and the quality of the final product. Want to learn a little more about what exactly DER standardization entails? Check out the article below.

What is DER standardization and what does it consist of?

DER standardization is nothing more than a certain form of measurement to determine the quality of products derived from plant and herbal extracts. Nowadays, we distinguish different methods of determining substances, or more precisely, the content of active ingredients in extracts. The most commonly used are the generally accepted methods of standardization and DER, or Drug Extract Ratio.

DER (Drug Extract Ratio) standardization is the process of determining and controlling the concentration of a particular active substance in a plant or herbal extract. It involves determining how much of a specific active ingredient is in each milligram of the extract to ensure uniform product quality and efficacy.

To recognize the value of plant and herbal extracts, a chemical analysis must be performed to determine the concentration of the active substance. There are various methods of analysis, including chromatography, spectrometry and immunoassay. For example: if the DER is 20:1, it means that only 1 gram of extract was obtained from 20 grams of the herb or plant. It is worth knowing that the higher the DER, the more potent the plant or herbal extract will be.

Chromatography

This is one of the most common ways of determining the concentration of an active substance. It involves the separation and identification of individual components using various techniques, such as liquid chromatography and gas chromatography.

Spectrometry

A method of determining the amount and nature of components by measuring electromagnetic spectra. It is a very precise and sensitive method that is often used to determine the concentration of active ingredients in plant and herbal extracts.

Immunoassay

A process that uses the immunological relationship between an antigen and an antibody to detect and measure a specific substance. It is a rapid and sensitive method that is often used to determine the concentration of an active substance in plant and herbal extracts.