Medicinal Plant Research 2026, Vol.16, No.1, 52-68 http://hortherbpublisher.com/index.php/mpr 52 Research Insight Open Access Hangbaiju Tea Beverages and Industrial Chain Extension Weiying Gao 1,2 1 Tongxiang Lukang Chrysanthemum Industry Co. Ltd., Tongxiang 314501, Zhejiang, China 2 Zhejiang Agronomist College, Hangzhou, 310021, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: 1304837229@qq.com Medicinal Plant Research, 2026, Vol.16, No.1 doi: 10.5376/mpr.2026.16.0004 Received: 25 Jan., 2026 Accepted: 10 Mar., 2026 Published: 24 Mar., 2026 Copyright © 2026 Gao, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Gao W.Y., 2026, Hangbaiju tea beverages and industrial chain extension, Medicinal Plant Research, 16(1): 52-68 (doi: 10.5376/mpr.2026.16.0004) Abstract This study explores the development of Hangbaiju tea beverage products and the extension of the industrial chain. Hangbaiju is a traditional medicinal and edible plant in China and a characteristic agricultural product of Zhejiang Province, with significant medicinal, beverage, cultural, and economic value. With the growing popularity of health-conscious consumption and the rapid development of the new-style tea beverage market, the development of Hangbaiju tea beverage products and industrial chain extension have become important directions for promoting industrial transformation and upgrading. This paper systematically analyzes the upgrading of traditional Hangbaiju tea beverage products, the development of compound tea beverages, and the innovation of new-style tea beverage products. It also summarizes key processing technologies, including raw material quality control, tea beverage processing and flavor preservation, and product quality and safety control. On this basis, the paper further discusses the extension models of the Hangbaiju industrial chain toward upstream standardized cultivation bases, midstream deep-processed products, and downstream sales channels and consumption scenarios. It also proposes development pathways involving regional public brand building, differentiated product positioning, diversified marketing model innovation, and integrated development with agriculture, culture, tourism, health and wellness, educational programs, and cultural communication. The study suggests that the Hangbaiju tea beverage industry should be supported by technological innovation, standardized production, brand building, and industrial integration, so as to promote the transformation of Hangbaiju resources from traditional dried flower products into standardized, functional, branded, and high-value tea beverage products, thereby providing a reference for the development of characteristic medicinal and edible resources and the high-quality development of regional agricultural industries. Keywords Hangbaiju; tea beverage product development; industrial chain extension; deep processing; brand building 1 Introduction Hangbaiju (Chrysanthemum morifolium Ramat.) is an important representative of traditional medicinal and edible plants in China and one of Zhejiang Province’s characteristic agricultural products. As a chrysanthemum variety with a long history of cultivation and application, Hangbaiju has long been consumed as flower tea and used in folk medicine and nutritional health products, reflecting considerable cultural, health-related, and economic value. Studies have shown that Hangbaiju is rich in flavonoids and possesses strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, making it an important plant resource for the development of functional foods and tea beverage products (Lu and Liu, 2025). Meanwhile, the quality of Hangbaiju is closely related to its geographical origin. Technologies such as hyperspectral imaging combined with chemometrics have been used for rapid and non-destructive origin identification, providing technical support for quality control and brand building of geographical indication products. In recent years, with the continuous advancement of the rural revitalization strategy and high-quality development of characteristic agriculture, major producing areas such as Tongxiang, Zhejiang, have relied on ecological conditions, cultivation foundations, and regional brand advantages to gradually form a Hangbaiju industry integrating cultivation, processing, sales, and cultural communication. However, overall, the Hangbaiju industry still mainly relies on raw material sales and traditional dried flower products, and its product added value and market competitiveness still need to be further improved. With the improvement of living standards and the popularization of health-conscious consumption, consumer demand for natural, green, and functional beverages has continued to grow. China’s tea beverage industry has developed into a large-scale modern consumer sector, and the tea beverage market is shifting from traditional thirst-quenching consumption toward standardization, branding, quality orientation, and globalization. New-style
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