Our production processes follow high international standards: in fact, EPO is a Company with a pharmaceutical footprint, authorised to produce plant extracts by the Italian Ministry of Health through the Local Sanitary Department.
The UNI EN ISO 9001-2015, UNI EN ISO 14001-2015, Kosher, Halal and Organic certifications are additional recognitions for the quality and safety of EPO extracts, a guarantee for the customer and a motivation for us towards continuous improvement.
A selection of plants, whose traceability is guaranteed from the field to the final extract: the botanical species identification is proven through the DNA barcoding technique, in addition to the traditional methods from Eu. Ph.. The extracts are carefully tested, from actives standardization to searching chemical and microbiological contaminants. The highly qualified Q.C. staff is skilled in using sophisticated technical instruments and modern analytical methods (HPLC, GC, TLC, spectrophotometry, etc.). In accordance with the GMP, the Q.A. staff controls the scrupulous application of the company’s procedures to guarantee the quality system, in every phase of the product’s life and in full accordance with the quality and safety requirements previously established.
In addition to routine analysis, great attention is payed to the study of all extract bioactive components, to demonstrate its safety and effectiveness. Firstly, an initial screening is carried out by R&D to control and exclude the presence of cytotoxic fractions in the extract; then, the traditional uses of the extract and plant are reviewed from available literature, and finally they are proved through in vitro studies and clinical trials. For this reason, in recent years, EPO has started important collaborations with prestigious Italian Universities.
EPO’s strong points are: a wide range of products, the availability to produce tailor-made extracts on client’s request by R&D and the efficiency of our customer service, assured by a dynamic and flexible sales department. Satisfaction of customers is EPO’s main goal; the level of service guaranteed by our company ranges from the receipt of the order to the delivery, followed by a proactive after-sales customer assistance. All EPO’s products are sold along with a clear and rigorous scientific documentation.
DNA barcoding allows species characterization using a short DNA sequence from a standard part of the genome; for plants four gene regions are normally used as a standard barcode. The technique is very similar to a supermarket scanner, which identifies products by reading the black bars of the UPC (Universal Product Code): the sample is identified by finding the closest matching between the isolated DNA sequence and a reference sequence of an official barcode database. The DNA barcode is a unique pattern in every living being, therefore the DNA barcoding technique is more accurate than any other classical identification system as taxonomy or TLC (Thin Layer Chromatography for plants).