Premium Standardized Active Ingredients for Pharmaceutical, Nutraceutical, and Functional Food Industries in Portugal & Europe
Optimized bio-active ingredients tailored to the strict quality and pharmacological specifications of the Portuguese and European life science sectors.
Understanding the growing demand for highly standardized herbal derivatives, natural biosecuritants, and phytopharmacological ingredients across Portugal.
Portugal’s industrial landscape is witnessing a structural transformation driven by the transition toward bio-based, circular, and green economy practices. In major industrial hubs from Porto to Lisbon, and across the growing biotechnology clusters in Coimbra and Braga, the formulation of functional foods, advanced dietary supplements, and natural dermo-cosmetics has surged. As consumer demand trends toward clean-label products with fully traceable ingredients, local manufacturers are seeking direct, reliable, and compliant channels for phytotherapeutics and botanical extracts. Our alignment with local partners is designed to bridge the gap between farm-level raw biomass sourcing and the high-precision requirements of European phytopharmaceutical standards.
The macroeconomic environment in Iberia, particularly Portugal, demands stringent adherence to EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) regulations, making technical transparency the ultimate competitive asset. Global market changes—such as supply chain volatility, increased costs of raw biological materials, and stricter EU regulations on contaminants like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), heavy metals, and pesticide residues—require a robust upstream sourcing strategy. UniCare provides Portuguese industrial formulators with steady supply security, verified active compound stability, and comprehensive regulatory documentation dossiers to facilitate rapid product registration and validation.
UniCare is a highly specialized, global supplier of premium natural active ingredients. Our high-performance botanical extracts are integrated into dietary supplements, functional food matrices, high-end cosmetics, and ethical pharmaceutical formulations worldwide. We focus deeply on continuous product development, chemical consistency, and clinical compatibility, growing in alignment with the industry's most demanding formulation experts.
To guarantee long-term batch-to-batch stability and chemical purity, UniCare maintains strategic, deep-level manufacturing integration with leading Chinese production facilities. These manufacturing plants operate under complete quality management system certifications, including but not limited to GMP, EU-GMP, CEP, ISO9001, ISO22000, and HACCP. Each facility is equipped with state-of-the-art analytical equipment, ensuring independent testing capabilities and zero-tolerance compliance checks on all outgoing products.
Driving technological innovation in phytochemistry to create sustainable, high-efficacy health solutions.
Addressing the core technical challenges of phytopharmaceutical solubility, stability, and therapeutic delivery across international borders.
In the botanical extract industry, crude plant powders are often insufficient due to variable active compound concentrations. UniCare addresses this challenge by specializing in standardized extracts characterized by quantitative analytical markers (e.g., specific HPLC HPLC/UV thresholds). This guarantees consistent pharmacological output, enabling formulators to calculate exact therapeutic dosages in compliance with European pharmacopoeia requirements. Our high-content seedling selection and advanced cultivation further optimize starting biomass quality.
Many hydrophobic active compounds, such as Quercetin, Resveratrol, and Berberine HCl, suffer from low systemic absorption. To assist our partners in Portugal and across Europe, our R&D processes focus on physical profile optimization, including custom particle sizing (micronization) and spray-drying optimization. These technical enhancements improve overall solubility in aqueous solutions, accelerating absorption in dietary supplement formulations and topical skincare preparations.
Operating some of the largest automated extraction, separation, and purification plants, built to meet international industrial demands.
Our extraction facilities operate under strict compliance with standard GMP parameters, ensuring controlled environments at every stage.
Our manufacturing workflow includes EU-GMP and CEP certified production systems, specifically for premium Ginkgo Biloba extract.
Advanced DCS (Distributed Control Systems) manage all extraction cycles, ensuring high repeatability and eliminating human error.
Equipped with high-performance separation columns, thin-film evaporators, and low-temperature vacuum drying chambers.
Our vast raw herb storage and processing capacity provide reliable supply security for high-volume contract manufacturers in Europe.
Featuring 3 annular dynamic countercurrent lines (10T & 15T) and 2 multi-functional lines (32 extraction tanks, 6m³ each) to maximize yield.
Operating a specialized acetone process line for Ginkgo Biloba Extract that meets strict European pharmacopeial contaminant thresholds.
Equipped with six 20-ton fermentation tanks to produce enzyme-modified and biologically synthesized natural derivatives.
Ensuring full regulatory compliance across Portugal and the European Union, backed by state-of-the-art analytical testing.
Importing botanical extracts into Portugal requires strict alignment with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária (DGAV). From maximum residual limits (MRLs) for pesticides to the exclusion of heavy metals and unauthorized ethylene oxide residues, compliance is vital for market access.
Our quality system is designed to meet these requirements. We provide complete regulatory documentation dossiers for each batch, including certificate of analysis (CoA), allergen declarations, non-GMO confirmations, and BSE/TSE statements. This comprehensive support helps our Portuguese and European partners streamline product registration and import procedures.
Additionally, our testing protocols screen for environmental and process contaminants such as Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) and plasticizer residues, ensuring our products meet European pharmaceutical and nutraceutical standards.
| Analytical Control Category | Target Parameters & Validation Testing Methods |
|---|---|
| Active Ingredient Assay | Quantifying active chemical markers using HPLC, UHPLC, or UV-Vis spectroscopy. |
| Hazardous Contaminant Control | ICP-MS analysis for heavy metals (Pb, As, Hg, Cd); GC-MS/MS monitoring for pesticide residues. |
| Microbiological Evaluation | Total aerobic microbial count (TAMC), total yeasts and molds count (TYMC), and pathogen screening. |
| Raw Material Traceability | Tracking botanical origin, verifying non-GMO status, and confirming GACP harvesting compliance. |
| Documentation & Registration Dossiers | Providing Technical Data Sheets (TDS), Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), and allergen declarations. |
| Stability & Shelf Life Profiles | Conducting temperature and humidity stability testing to determine appropriate shelf life guidelines. |
| Physical Characteristics | Monitoring tap density, bulk density, particle size distribution, moisture content, and ash residue. |
Our central laboratory is accredited by CNAS, operating an array of highly sensitive analytical instruments to ensure raw material consistency.
| Instrument Type | Quantity & Analytical Range |
|---|---|
| UHPLC, Agilent 1290 | 2 Units – High-pressure liquid chromatography for rapid active marker quantification. |
| HPLC, Agilent 1260 / Shimadzu LC-20AT | 6 Units – Standard liquid chromatography for botanical chemical profiling. |
| ELSD, Shimadzu 2000ES | 2 Units – Evaporative light scattering detectors for non-chromophoric compound analysis. |
| GC, Shimadzu GC-2010 | 1 Unit – Gas chromatography for residual solvent and volatile terpene screening. |
| AAS, Shimadzu AA-7000 | 1 Unit – Atomic absorption spectroscopy for trace heavy metal determination. |
Investing in botanical research and agricultural practices to optimize yield and compound potency at the farm level.
We dedicate 10% of our annual net profit to research and development, focusing on extraction efficiency and bio-fermentation. Through a collaborative research program with the Beijing University of Chemical Technology, we explore natural bio-conversions to develop clean-label functional compounds.
To ensure trace reliability of our starting biomass, we partner with agricultural growers to operate dedicated GACP-compliant cultivation bases for Ginkgo Leaf, Epimedium, Phellodendron, and Olive Leaf. These partnerships enable us to manage quality variables, starting from seed selection through to harvest.
Aligning standardized botanical ingredients with local formulation trends and consumer preferences.
Providing high-potency extracts, such as Berberine HCl and Silymarin, to support metabolic health and cardiovascular formulations within Portugal’s pharmaceutical sector.
Supplying antioxidant-rich active ingredients, including Pomegranate and Green Tea extracts, to meet the clean-beauty and UV-protection formulation demands of Portuguese cosmetic brands.
Enabling the development of shelf-stable, water-soluble herbal active ingredients for integration into regional health wellness beverages and functional liquids.
Optimizing industrial botanical sourcing from initial consultation through to European delivery.
Collaborating on active marker target values, particle sizes, solubility properties, and regulatory compliance parameters.
Testing pre-shipment control samples within our CNAS laboratory, generating all required analytical certificates and documents.
Managing international shipping lanes, handling customs clearance processes, and executing final delivery to facilities in Lisbon, Porto, or Coimbra.
Addressing the key quality, regulatory, and logistics queries from procurement departments and formulation scientists.
Each shipment includes a complete documentation dossier, containing HPLC/GC test results, pesticide screens, and heavy metal reports. We cross-reference every batch against current European Union pharmacopoeial thresholds to support local compliance needs.
Standard minimum order quantities generally begin at 25 kilograms, which aligns with standard fiber drum packaging formats. We can accommodate smaller evaluation quantities for trial formulations and pilot runs during the initial R&D phase.
Yes. Our extraction facilities support custom standardization requirements. We can calibrate extraction processes to achieve specific active marker concentrations and customize bulk density and physical profiles to suit different capsule, tablet, or liquid applications.
Standard ocean freight shipments to ports such as Leixões or Sines average approximately 30 to 40 days. For urgent supply needs or pilot batches, air freight solutions can be arranged to deliver directly to Lisbon (LIS) or Porto (OPO) airports within 7 to 10 days.
A broad selection of standardized natural compounds available for import and distribution in Portugal.
