1
ADULTERATION
: A STARK REALITY IN WORLD HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS
While the Indusrtry is booming with the
latest Nutraceitical trends in Cosmetics,Sports
and Mental Health sectors,The question of
purity and credibility has become all the more
important than ever.As the major suppliers
and growers of the most potent herbs remain
to be in the developing countries who are
leaving no stone unturned to meet
International requirements,The incidents of
deceipt and adulteration often looms infront
of the distributors & somemtimes cunsumers.
PC:https://www.purelyb.com/be-nourished/nutrition/10-
antioxidant-rich-herbs-and-spices-to-add-to-your-diet
The herbal nutrition and supplement sector
gained momentum based on the fact that we
trust the direct blessings of mother
nature,thats its supposed to be 'PURE',Buts
every now and then some ill intended people
figure out ways to fill thier wallets by
compromising with the quality of product.In
this article lets look at the most common ways
Its being done w.r.t. some of the most potent
herbs and how to detect it before you bare
the losses as a supplier.
G
1. INGKO BILOBA
The plant native to China, the extract of its
leaves is used for conditions like Alzheimer’s
disease and reduced blood circulation to the
body and brain. It also used to treat mood
swings, memory loss, and several other
cognitive disorders.
PC- https://www.stylecraze.com/articles/serious-side-
effects-of-ginkgo-biloba/#gref
By-Deepika Bharti
Adulterants- Addition of pure
flavonols/flavonol glycosides or extracts from
other botanicals which are rich in flavonol
glycosides eg. rutin • quercetin • kaempferol.
are the common defaulters. Not just
adulterating the final extract, Adulteration is
also done by by using 3% hydrochloric acid
instead of the more expensive organic
solvents (ethanol, acetone) in the
manufacturing process of ginkgo extracts,
providing extracts with higher amounts of free
quercetin, kaempferol, and isorhamnetin.
Methods of Detection
A quick but expensive method that has been
developed in the recent years is by using the
Recombinase Polymerase Amplification
Assay.Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is
considered a gold standard detection protocol
for most DNA-based methods.(research paper
by Yang Liu, Xiao-yue Wang, Xue-min Wei, Zi-
tong Gao & Jian-ping Han).Other than this a
more conventional method has been studied
and demonstrated by NSF International by
executing HPTLC and HPLC-UV (detection at
370 and 260 nm) for samples that concluded
uncharacteristically high levels of rutin,
quercetin, kaempferol, or extracts from
Japanese sophora or green tea. (M. Pan [NSF
International] email communication, October
25, 2017)
A
2. SHWAGANDHA (Withania somnifera)
One of the most important herbs of Ayurveda
used for millennia for its wide ranging health
benefits such as promotor of vigor,
endurance, strength, health, and increasing
the production of vital fluids, muscle fat,
blood, lymph, semen, and cells.
PC- https://chicago.suntimes.com/2019/3/28/18393719/what-
s-ashwagandha-and-why-is-gwyneth-paltrow-s-latest-goop-
craze-all-the-rage

: A STARK REALITY IN WORLD HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS
Sales of ashwagandha dietary supplements
have seen double-digit growth over the past
years leading to a shortfall in supply ompared
to demand .
Adulterants- Non-root parts of W. somnifera,
such as stem, leaves and aerial parts of
ashwagandha, which are rich in withaferin A
as well as other withanolides are the ususal
suspects.These aduldarants are not covered
under the acceptable impurities mentioned in
the COA and since they mimic the active
ingredient often they go undetected.
Methods of Detection
Parts of Withania somnifera other than roots
(e.g., stems, leaves) which have been used as
adulterants, can be identified when present in
crude powdered form using microscopic
analysis. Higher relative concentrations of
withaferin A have been reported in the leaves
(typically >100 times than roots) and stems
(typically >10 times than roots). This could be
used as an indicator of the presence of
undeclared aerial parts of W. somnifera in
roots. Such validated methods can be adopted
by ethical suppliers to provide testing data.
T
3. URMERIC (Curcuma longa)
A native to India the most common
applications are as an ingredient in dietary
supplement, cosmetics, and as flavouring for
foods.
PC- http://www.nutritionaloutlook.com/trends-
business/curcumin-extract-bcm-95-rebranded-curcugreen-
arjuna-natural-sells-directly-us-market
Turmeric and curcumin based supplements
have gained potential growth in the Industry
as per recent market surveys. It is even
expected to multiply three folds in the coming
years and this leads to accelerated efforts of
2
ADULTERATION
By-Deepika Bharti
adulteration for monetary gains. While the
earliest reported incidents can be traced back
since the 1980's when starch and synthetic
colour substitute were used to replace the
natural powder, today's story is a notch ahead
with curcumioids in liquid and crystal forms
too are being found with be adulterated with
cheap unacceptable derivatives.
Adulterants-
A common way of adulterating curcumin
extracts is by replacing natural, extracted
curcumin with synthetic petrochemical-
derived curcumin. The synthetic curcumin is
sold for a third of the price, offering a
significant monetary incentive.
Turmeric powder on the other hand has
suffered ill intended substitution with lead
chromate and metanil yellow as they ape
turmeric’s distinctive yellow color.
Methods of Detection
Recently introduced by Betalab services,
carbon-14 testing is the most effective
method to detect synthetic petrochemical
based adulteration as it can accurately
differentiate between plant-derived and
petroleum-derived material.
In turmeric powder and curcumin
supplements, There are two standards that
can be used to determine the percentage of
natural vs synthetic ingredients i.e – ASTM
D6866 and ISO 16620-2 8.3.2: biobased
carbon content as a fraction of total carbon
(TC) or total organic carbon (TOC).
Conclusions
There are those with mal-intentions and then
there are also those whose only intention is to
serve better to fellow humankind while being
loyal to mother nature. Evidently the
instances for adulteration have only increased
and advanced in techniques, The silver lining
is, with innovation in analytical methods
there is nothing that cannot be dealt with.
However its always better to assert-' what
goes around comes around'. The mal-
practices might be inflating the pocket of
wrong doers right now, it's only a matter of
time, their tricks won't work anymore.
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ADULTERATION
: A STARK REALITY IN WORLD HERBAL SUPPLEMENTS
By-Deepika Bharti