From the perspective of application fields, plant extracts are currently mainly used in health products, functional food and beverages, and pharmaceutical raw materials, etc. Among them, the demand in the health care products sector accounts for the largest proportion, followed by functional food and beverages, and pharmaceutical raw materials rank third. This distribution pattern reflects the significant position of plant extracts in health-related industries. As people's attention to health keeps increasing, the demand in these fields will continue to grow.

In terms of the industrial chain, the plant extract industry has formed a relatively complete upstream, midstream and downstream system. The upstream raw material supply is mainly concentrated in regions rich in biological resources. Among them, China and India in Asia are the world's most important raw material supply bases, and countries such as Brazil and Peru in South America also hold significant shares. At present, the main challenges faced by upstream raw material supply include issues such as the impact of climate change, pesticide residue control, and sustainable collection.

The midstream production and processing links are undergoing technological innovation. The application proportion of advanced technologies such as supercritical CO2 extraction, molecular distillation and membrane separation has been increasing year by year, and the adoption rate of green extraction processes is also steadily growing.

Technological innovation is an important driving force for the development of industries. At present, the industry has made remarkable progress in aspects such as extraction technology, standardization and quality control. The application of ultrasonic-assisted extraction technology has significantly enhanced the extraction efficiency. Enzymatic extraction technology has made breakthroughs in the extraction of polysaccharides, and the application of fingerprint chromatogram technology has improved the accuracy of component characterization. Meanwhile, the research and development of new products is also moving towards high-purity monomer compounds, standardized extracts, water-soluble extracts and other directions.

The opportunities faced by the industry's development are mainly reflected in two aspects: the continuous growth of market demand and policy support. The demand in emerging markets, especially in Southeast Asia, is growing rapidly, providing a broad space for the development of the industry. Meanwhile, policies and measures such as the EU REACH regulation's support for natural products and the implementation of China's strategic development plan for traditional Chinese medicine have all created a favorable policy environment for the industry's development.

Looking ahead, with technological progress and the continuous growth of market demand, the plant extract industry will embrace greater development opportunities. Intelligent production will become the mainstream trend, the application of green extraction processes will become more widespread, and the degree of product standardization will also be significantly enhanced. These changes will drive the industry towards higher quality and more sustainable development.