Profile

An expert in pilot-scale high-purity preparation of Eucommia chlorogenic acid and industrialization of plant extracts.

Story

Yu Huazhong, of Tujia ethnicity, born in 1973, is a senior experimentalist and master's supervisor at the National-Local Joint Engineering Laboratory for Eucommia Comprehensive Utilization Technology, Jishou University, and Deputy Director of the Zhangjiajie Institute of Applied Botany. Building on the plant resources of the Wuling Mountains, he focuses on the extraction, separation and modification of natural active substances and their industrialized conversion, and led or participated in the pilot-scale conversion of preparing 98% high-purity chlorogenic acid by ultrasonic water extraction and supercritical extraction - moving Eucommia leaves from raw material to high-purity extract commodity.

He is highly experienced in industrial processing technology for plant extracts, production-line design and layout, and equipment selection, serving as a consultant to multiple enterprises and channeling Eucommia active-component research into food and cosmetics applications. His team continuously publishes active-separation research in international journals such as Food Bioscience and has established an HPLC quality-control method for multiple active components in Eucommia male-flower tea, providing standardized support for the development of Eucommia functional foods.

Milestones

• In March 2025, the team's research on plant active-component separation published in Food Bioscience was reported by New Hunan
• In April 2025, gave a thematic presentation on the utilization of Eucommia functional components at a meeting between the Eucommia laboratory and Guangdong Yekun Group
• Concurrently serves as technical director of the plant extraction industry base in Zhangjiajie Economic Development Zone, long providing production-line design and equipment selection services to enterprises

Key Contributions

• Participated in the Ministry of Science and Technology project 'Pilot-scale conversion of preparing 98% high-purity chlorogenic acid extract powder from Eucommia leaves by ultrasonic water extraction and supercritical extraction'
• Led the Hunan Provincial Department of Education key project 'Industrialized conversion of high-efficiency comprehensive utilization technology for Eucommia resources' (13CY017)
• Achievements including 'Study on a new process for preparing pure Eucommia powder' won four Hunan Provincial Science and Technology Progress Awards (Third Prize)
• Published over 50 papers (including in Food Bioscience, a Q1 Top journal); holds 8 granted patents
• Established an HPLC quality-control method for the simultaneous determination of three active components in Eucommia male-flower tea