What a titrated extract means: titration and extraction ratio

A titrated extract is a plant extract in which the content of one or more characteristic molecules is determined in a laboratory and declared on the label, usually as a percentage of the extract's weight. This figure is used to calculate, by multiplication, how much of the substance is taken each day: 500 mg of griffonia seed extract titrated to 20% 5-HTP corresponds to 100 mg of 5-hydroxytryptophan. The extraction ratio—the classic 20:1—answers another question: how much plant material was used to produce the extract. "Standardised" refers to yet another thing: an extract adjusted to a constant content.

Dry extract and plant powder: two different ingredients

A dry extract is created through a three-step process. The starting point is the dried plant—leaves, root, rhizome, seeds or bark, and the part used changes the result. It is brought into contact with a solvent: water, ethanol, a hydroalcoholic mixture or carbon dioxide in supercritical conditions. The solvent carries with it the molecules that dissolve in that medium; what is left behind is discarded. The resulting liquid is then concentrated and dried, often on an inert carrier like maltodextrin, which must be listed among the ingredients on the label.

Micronised powder is something else: it is the dried and ground plant, without any extraction. It contains everything the plant contained, in the proportions in which it contained them. These proportions vary with the soil, climate, year, time of harvest and the part of the plant used. It meets a different need from an extract, and it is the correct form when the whole plant is desired.

The practical difference is that the extract concentrates, while the powder does not. However, concentrating does not mean measuring: to know how much active ingredient an extract contains, an additional piece of information is needed: the titration.

• “PLANT POWDER”“dried and ground plant” “variable composition”
• “20:1 EXTRACT”“20 parts plant to 1 part extract” “does not state the amount of marker compound”
• “STANDARDISED EXTRACT”“declared percentage of marker compound” “checked batch by batch”

Titration: what the percentage on the label guarantees

Titration is the percentage of a substance that is analytically determined in the extract and declared on the label. The first point to establish is what that percentage refers to: the weight of the extract, not the weight of the capsule and not the daily dose. It is a detail that completely changes the calculation.

An example from our catalogue. On the label of our 5-HTP, you can read "dry extract of griffonia seeds [Griffonia simplicifolia (DC.) Baill.] titrated to 20% 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP)", with a daily dose of 2 capsules providing 500 mg of extract. The calculation is straightforward: 500 × 20% = 100 mg of 5-HTP per day. In the table of average contents, the value is already listed, but it is useful to know how to work it out for yourself, as not all labels state it explicitly.

It is worth distinguishing between two cases that seem identical. In some plants, the titrated molecule is the substance responsible for the desired effect—this is the case with 5-HTP in griffonia. In others, it is an analytical marker: a molecule chosen because it can be measured reliably and because its quantity correlates with that of the constituent group, without necessarily being the only one that matters. In both cases, the figure serves to make the content verifiable and consistent from one batch to the next.

Verification is carried out in a laboratory, usually using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) or spectrophotometric methods. The result is reported on the batch's certificate of analysis, the document that a reputable manufacturer can provide. A titration, therefore, declares a known and controlled quantity: it is a quality specification, not a promise of a result.

Extraction ratio 20:1: what question does it answer

The extraction ratio describes the production process: 20:1 means that from 20 parts by weight of the starting plant material, 1 part of concentrated extract is obtained. In technical terms, it is called the drug-to-extract ratio—where "drug" is the regulatory term for the dried plant used as a raw material—and European guidelines on herbal medicinal products define it as the ratio between the quantity of herbal substance used and the quantity of the resulting preparation.

This is a figure that depends on many variables: the solvent, the part of the plant, the extraction technique, and the quality of the starting batch. Two 20:1 extracts of the same plant obtained with different solvents are not necessarily comparable.

For some plants, there is an established analytical reference — curcuminoids for turmeric, 5-HTP for griffonia — and in that case, the label can also declare the standardisation percentage. For others, that shared reference does not exist, or there is more than one characteristic molecule, and the extraction ratio is the correct information to report. The two numbers measure different things and are on separate scales.

Certain three-figure ratios have a simple explanation. An extraction ratio can be calculated in two ways: based on the dried plant or the fresh plant. The difference is significant, because a fresh root is largely composed of water: the very same extract can be declared as 20:1 if the calculation starts from the dried root, and reach a much higher number if it starts from the fresh one.

In our extracts, the ratio is always calculated based on the dried raw material: in our Maca Nera Extra Forte, 1,000 mg of extract corresponds to 20,000 mg of dried root. The European guidelines themselves require that when starting from fresh material, this is indicated in the preparation's name.

The quantities stated on the front of the packaging also require some calculation. "2,000 mg from 10:1 extract" does not mean that the dose contains 2,000 mg of extract: it means that the 200 mg of extract actually present are equivalent to 2,000 mg of the starting plant. The large number is the plant equivalent, the small one is the ingredient. Both are correct; knowing which one you are reading is what makes two products comparable.

Standardised, quantified, other extract: the vocabulary of the Pharmacopoeia

Alongside "titolato", other words are in circulation, and they come from a specific text: the general monograph on extracts in the European Pharmacopoeia, which distinguishes three categories.

Standardised extracts are adjusted to a defined content of constituents with known activity, within a tolerance range; the adjustment is achieved by blending different batches or by adding inert material. Quantified extracts are adjusted to a range of constituents that serve as markers, without the activity being attributed solely to them. Other extracts are defined by the production process and specifications, not by an imposed content.

This vocabulary originates from herbal medicinal products, not food supplements, which follow their own labelling rules. However, it is the same language that raw material suppliers use to describe what they sell, and for this reason, it also appears on our labels. In Italian commercial use, "titolato" and "standardizzato" are used almost as synonyms, whereas in the pharmacopoeial text they indicate two distinct things. When comparing two products, the number that follows the word matters more than the word itself.

When potency is not measured in percentages: GDU, FU and units of activity

For some ingredients, the percentage is not the right figure. An enzyme is evaluated by how much it works, and its ability to work depends on how it was produced, purified and stored. Two powders that are identical on the scales can have very different activities.

For this reason, units of activity are used, measured with standardised assays. Bromelain is expressed in GDU (Gelatin Digesting Units), i.e. how much gelatin the enzyme can digest under defined conditions; nattokinase in FU (Fibrinolytic Units).

The operational point is the same as for standardisation, and it is just as easy to get it wrong: "5000 GDU/g" refers to one gram of raw material, not the dose. To know how much activity you are taking, you need to multiply by the milligrams actually present. In our 5000 GDU/g bromelain the daily dose of 3 capsules provides 540 mg of bromelain from pineapple stem: 0.540 g × 5,000 GDU/g = 2,700 GDU per day. On the label of our Nattokinase, 100 mg of fermented soya bean extract corresponds to 2,000 FU per capsule, and in this case, the label itself directly states the value per dose.

“Turmeric dry extract 25:1, standardised to 95% curcuminoids, 500 mg”

1. Turmericthe plant
2. 25:1extraction ratio
3. standardised to 95%the marker compound and how much is present
4. curcuminoidsthe marker compound
5. 500 mgamount of extract in the dose

Five labels read line by line

A line in the ingredients list, when written in full, contains six pieces of information in sequence: the plant's common name, the botanical name with the naming author, the part used, the type of preparation, the extraction ratio and/or titration, and the quantity present in the dose. Learning the order makes any label readable.

1

• WEIGHT IS MEASURED — percentage standardisation — how much marker compound is in the extract — example: standardised to 95% curcuminoids

2

• ACTIVITY IS MEASURED — enzyme activity unit — how much substrate the enzyme can break down — example: 5000 GDU per gram

Curcuma Forte is the only case where the ratio and titration coexist on the same line: 25:1 describes the concentration obtained from the rhizome, 95% describes how much of that extract is curcuminoid complex.

On the same label, further down, it also reads "d.e. of young bamboo shoots (surculi) [Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss and Bambusa vulgaris Schrad.], tit. to 70% in silica": here the bamboo is the anti-caking agent, not the main active ingredient. Technical ingredients can also be titrated: a percentage, by itself, does not say what role that ingredient has.

On some labels, next to the botanical name, a trade name appears — on our Curcuma Forte, you can read BCM-95® / Curcugreen®. It indicates an extract from a specific manufacturer, with its own specifications and its own certificate of analysis.

Five questions to ask yourself when looking at an extract's label

1. Is it a powder or an extract? The wording “d.e.”, “dry extract” or the indication of a solvent distinguishes the extract from the simply ground plant.
2. Is there a percentage, and which substance does it refer to? A percentage without the name of the molecule is not a titration.
3. Is the quantity indicated per capsule or per daily dose? The daily dose is the correct unit of measurement for comparing two products.
4. If there are activity units, are they per gram of raw material or per dose? GDU and FU follow the same logic as titration: they must be multiplied by the actual milligrams.
5. If the extraction ratio is very high, does it refer to the dried plant or the fresh one? This is the information that makes two numbers that seem very far apart comparable.

Finally, there is the case of addition. When the same substance comes from two different sources — for example, a titrated extract and a powder of the same plant — some labels only report the total. The total is correct, but it does not allow you to know how much of it comes from the measured source.

Titrated, standardised or 20:1: five terms compared

None of these rows is inherently "better" than the others: they answer different questions and allow for different types of verification. The complete picture can be found in our guide on how to choose a quality supplement.

Frequently asked questions

What does titrated extract mean?

It means that the content of one or more characteristic molecules in the extract has been determined in a laboratory, and that this content is declared on the label, usually as a percentage of the extract's weight. By multiplying the percentage by the milligrams of extract present in the dose, you get the amount of the substance taken each day.

What is the difference between a titrated extract and a standardised extract?

In Italian commercial use, the two terms are used almost as synonyms. In the language of the European Pharmacopoeia, however, "standardised" indicates an extract adjusted to a defined content of constituents with known activity within a tolerance, whereas titration is the declaration of the analytically determined percentage.

What does a 20:1 extract mean?

It means that from 20 parts by weight of the starting plant, 1 part of extract is obtained. This is information about the process: it tells you how concentrated the extract is compared to the plant, not how much of a characteristic molecule it contains.

Why do some supplements declare ratios like 50:1 or 100:1?

Because the ratio can be calculated based on the dried plant or the fresh plant, which is largely composed of water. The same extract gives two very different numbers depending on the material used as a reference. To compare two ratios, you therefore need to know which of the two they refer to.

Does an extract titrated to 70% silica contain 70% silica?

Yes, but this refers to the weight of that extract, not the weight of the capsule or the dose. In a bamboo extract titrated to 70% silica, the 70% is the proportion of silica in the bamboo extract: to know how much silica you are taking, you need to know how many milligrams of that extract are present.

Does titration guarantee that every capsule contains the same amount of active ingredient?

Not in the sense of absolute identity. Titration is a batch specification that is analytically verified within defined tolerances: it guarantees that the declared content is met within those limits, not that two capsules are identical to the milligram.

Is a titrated extract better than a plant powder?

They meet different needs. A titrated extract allows you to know and verify how much of a characteristic molecule you are taking; a powder keeps the plant in its natural composition, with the variations that this entails. The choice depends on the objective of the formula.

Further reading

• How to read a supplement label: a practical six-step guide
• Bromelain 5000 GDU: a complete guide, common myths and gastro-resistance
• How to choose a quality supplement

Bibliography

1. Decree of the Ministry of Health of 10 August 2018 — Regulation of the use of plant substances and preparations in food supplements. Official Gazette No. 224 of 26 September 2018.
2. European Medicines Agency — Guideline on declaration of herbal substances and herbal preparations in herbal medicinal products/traditional herbal medicinal products (EMA/HMPC/CHMP/CVMP/287539/2005 Rev. 1, 11 March 2010).
3. European Pharmacopoeia — general monograph on extracts (standardised, quantified and other extracts).
4. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers.
5. Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods.