Production and life at Herrens Mark
Herrens Mark is a specialised organic farm in West Funen, Denmark, with a focus on the development of dietary supplements and Foods for Special Medical Purposes.
Organic, fermented herbal extracts are produced at Herrens Mark. The entire process is handled here, from the planting of the seed in the soil to the pouring of the extract into a glass. All our herbs are grown in their own fields, harvested when they are fresh and carefully processed in separate production facilities. The extracts are fermented with lactic acid bacteria, and when they are ready for sale, they are packed at our own packing facility.
Herrens Mark works with laboratories, research institutions and phytotherapists on the development of new herbal extracts.
Pressing the herbs
The plants are harvested over the summer and are driven straight from the field to the production hall.
To extract the liquid and nutrients from the plants, they are tipped into a large reactor tank where they are gently heated under controlled conditions. A press is then used to eke every last drop out of the extracts. The remaining pulp is removed and driven back to the field, where it is ploughed into the soil to provide nourishment for next year’s crops. The pressed juice, on the other hand, is moved on to one of the 15 20,000 litre tanks where the extract is now fermented.
Fermentation of extracts
The tanks are where one of the most essential processes of Herrens Mark’s products takes place – fermentation. The extract is inoculated with an inoculum, which ferments with lactic acid bacteria. It is a process that takes time, knowledge and experience, as carbon dioxide is produced during fermentation, which has to be degassed before the extract is bottled.
As a result of the fermentation, the PH value of the extract drops to around 4. In other words, an environment is created where only the lactic acid bacteria can survive. Fermentation with lactic acid bacteria thus has a preservative effect, making the addition of alcohol or other types of preservatives to the extract unnecessary.
Packing
When the extract is fully fermented, it is moved from the refrigeration unit to one of the old wings of the farm where the packing facility is located. Here, it is poured into airtight bag-in-box bags which ensure that the extract is not oxygenated. This helps to give the product a long shelf life.
The entire process, from when the seed is placed in the soil until the finished product is sent out to consumers takes place at Herrens Mark.
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