Herbal Product Testing
The most rapidly growing segment of the industry in the current situation is Herbal products or natural products. Some of the plants and their components as well as their parts are considered as valuable due to the active ingredients present in them. Currently regular consumption of industrialized foods as a result of sedentary lifestyle and urbanization, leads to increased cases of chronic diseases and long- term side effects that will adversely affect generations. In view of this, people are shifting their focus to natural food products. The significance of any food substance relies on the functional components or bioactive components present in them.
The World Health Organization (WHO) in 2004 launched the Global Strategy on Healthy Eating. In this it establishes certain guidelines with the main objective of reducing risk factors related to such diseases based on a healthy diet, physical activity and health. Among the recommendations, primary importance is given to the intake of vegetables, fruits and vegetables, as well as vitamins and minerals or to summarize recommends to consume available natural foods. These natural or herbal products contain several bioactive components such as carotenoids, phytochemicals, phytoestrogens, glycosinolates, sulfur containing compounds, flavonoids, isoflavones and many more.
The functional components or bioactive components present in the herbal products can be made available either in the form of extracts or as whole. Again, the extracts can be obtained in powdered form or liquid form. The greatest challenge for researchers in current times is designing efficient extraction protocols of these compounds from natural plant sources along with determination of their activity in the commercialized products. Through this, researchers and food chain contributors can develop variety of products with positive effects on human health.
WHO published Quality control methods for medicinal plant materials in 1998 in order to establish quality standards and specifications for herbal materials, within the overall context of quality assurance and control of herbal medicines and products.
The demand and significance of herbal extracts is majorly due to their natural origin with minimal adverse effects and can be consumed as a part of diet rather than medication. Phytochemicals present in them add the value to the herbal products.
Let’s have a look on the most important and widely used phytochemicals
- Alkaloids like Caffeine & Nicotine
- Terpenes extracted from ginkgo, sage, valerian, ginseng and many others
- Phenolic substances like curcumin, resveratrol, catechins, epigallocatechin
- Isoflavones mainly extracted from soyabeans
Another important contribution of herbs and herbal extracts in human health and nutrition is the presence of Antioxidants. Again, the antioxidant properties in them are due to the vitamins, carotenoids, terpenoids, phytoestrogens, flavonoids and many significant compounds present in them.
Here are some examples of herbs containing antioxidants – Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Thyme, Turmeric, Dill, Mint, Oregano, Saffron, Rosemary, Garlic, Sesame, Radish, Cumin, Fenugreek, Aloe vera
Many of these herbal extracts are available in market intended for various health benefits either in powdered form or liquid form.
Safety Concerns
In recent years, issues relating to rapidly increasing use of herbal products, dependence of many people living in developing countries on plants as a major source of nutrition coupled with absence or weak regulation of herbal products in most countries. The occurrence of high-profile safety concerns, have increased awareness of the need to monitor safety of the products and deepen understanding of possible harmful as well as potential benefits associated with the use of herbal extracts and related products.
One of the major concerns that affects the consumption of herbal products is their possible toxicity. All plants are not edible; hence it is important to take necessary measures in accurate identification of each and every species used for consumption, let it be medicinally or nutritionally.
The FSSAI, 2006 has defined various rules and regulations and have made various provisions to give assurance to the people of India that they will remain safe from food hazards. The Current regulations of herbal product emphasize the importance of allergen testing, microbiological safety and safety from chemical contaminants.
Herbal products are strictly governed by Ministry of AYUSH. Eurofins has the complete feasibility for analysis of herbal and related products.
Eurofins comprehensive portfolio of food testing parameters
- Nutritional analysis for vitamins, minerals, amino acids, fatty acids omega- 3 and omega– 6
- Allergen’s testing
- Organic and inorganic contaminants
- Pesticide and or antibiotic residues
- Detection of toxic components - alkaloids, pyrrolizidine alkaloids, mycotoxins, PABA
- Identification of species
- General microbial analyses
- Sensory testing
- Determination of shelf life
- Testing of functional compounds
- Ferulic acid
- Catechins
- Tannins
- Lutein
- Gingerols
- Curcuminoids
- Sennosides
- Fulvic acid
- Flavonoids such as flavones, flavanols, flavanones
- Carotenoids
- Anthocyanins and anthoxanthins
- Coenzyme Q10
- Resveratrol
- Caffeine
Our Extended Services
- We offer on-site sampling services as per national and international standards
- We provide consulting and auditing concerning your quality control issues (in your factories and on your suppliers' sites)
- We conduct extensive training on issues related to quality control, hygiene and HACCP
- We deliver sensory evaluation and product development advice: Hedonic tests using consumer panels, qualitative studies, marketing studies.
Why Eurofins?
- Strong customer focus with quality service
- One-stop solution lab
- Reliability Assured and Delivered
- Lab with the latest equipment
- Competent, Qualified and Experienced analysts
- Dedicated Customer Support
- Trusted by top brands in India
