Exploring the Science Behind Botanical ID Testing

The use of botanicals (herbs) in dietary supplements, herbal products, cosmetics, alternative medicines and foods is becoming very popular now a days. Botanical identity testing is a challenging activity in these types of products. Adulteration with the wrong plant or plant part is all too common. Botanical ingredients are very complex in their composition and are different in genus, species and regions. These complexities can make it challenging to identify and verify botanical ingredients. We at Chromak Research. ensure the identification and quality of a botanical or herbal products. So, you can trust on us for your raw materials as well as finished goods for botanical testing.

At Chromak Research, our well experienced team has an ability to develop methods and provide testing as per your needs and also follow 100% cGMP rule. Our state-of-the-art lab is fully equipped with analytical instruments like HPLC, HPTLC, IR, GC, LC-MS and NMR etc. and best technologies to employ the best methodology and platform for botanical identification. And We also have microbiological testing equipment for identification of botanical products at micro level.

Botanical identity methodology has lot of examples currently in use today. All methods have its own purpose of application. These methods use for identify and qualify all herbal products. There are three techniques to identify botanical products.

(1) HPTLC- This method is used for fingerprint analysis and marker compound analysis. These methods give us reproducible results in a cGMP environment and its proper implementation. HPTLC is the only single technique which can applicable to comply FDA requirement of 100% botanical identification and offers safe and effective botanical products.

(2) Microscopy- This method is most effective and widely used to identify the characteristics of plant or adulterants. This technique is applicable to crude raw botanicals from powdered to whole form and is a preferred technique.

(3) HPLC Fingerprint- This method is used for identification, quantitation or fingerprint analysis to give proper data set. Only HPLC give results of quantitative comparison of separated markers. Chromatographic fingerprints give information assisting manufacturing control and assuring batch to batch conformity. These type of techniques and methods are applicable for botanicals and their powdered extracts to determine its proper identity.

(1) HPLC/UPLC: HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) and UPLC (Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography) are very common in worldwide and used to separate, identify, and quantitate compounds. HPLC/UPLC can be used to evaluate the purity of samples from a variety of samples that are able to be dissolved in a liquid/solvent. It is useful to quantify compounds and adulterants at very low concentrations. HPLC/UPLC is able to give accurate quantitation of several types of chemical constituents of crude raw botanicals from powdered to whole form, extract (powdered or liquid) and finished products/blends.

(2) GC: Gas chromatography is a group of analytical separation techniques used to analyze volatile substances in the gas phase. In gas chromatography, the components of a sample are dissolved in a solvent and vaporized to separate the analytes by distributing the sample between two phases: a stationary phase and a mobile phase. The mobile phase is a chemically inert gas that helps to carry the molecules of the analyte through the heated column and then through the detectors which used as per method, where the separated compounds are identified by comparing with reference standards. This technique is the preferred method for the quantitation of the wide variety of combustible compounds found in many different matrices, various types of oils and many of the essential/volatile oils of botanical compounds.

(3) UV/VIS: Ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV/Vis) refers to absorption spectroscopy in the ultraviolet–visible spectral region. It uses light in the visible and adjacent (near-UV and near-infrared (NIR)) ranges. UV/Vis spectroscopy is used to quantitate solutions of highly conjugated organic compounds and biological macromolecules. UV/Vis spectroscopy is mostly used to quantitate organic compounds of natural products and dietary supplements. UV/VIS is not as accurate as HPLC or GC but could be a quick and easy way of quantitating compounds or when one needs a reproducible way of measuring the quality of any material such as an extract or botanical without the need for the accurate results.

Heavy metal analysis: We use ICP/MS (Inductive coupled plasma mass spectrometry) and AAS (Atomic absorption spectrometry) for heavy metal analysis in botanicals and dietary supplements. These techniques are used for trace level analysis of these elemental impurities.

Residual solvent analysis: HS-GC-MS/MS (Headspace Gas Chromatography Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry) is used to identify volatile organic compounds that are used or produced in the manufacture and also in finished products of botanical extracts and dietary supplements. USP <467> method is used for all Class 1 and Class 2 residual solvents.

Other testing is performed in Wet analysis laboratory. It includes all titrations, pH, Water, ash, Loss on drying and also elemental analysis chemically etc.

We at Chromak Research with well-equipped state-of-the-art laboratory with ISO 9001:2015, ISO 17025:2017 certification is capable of carrying out different analysis and testing as per various national / international standards and methods. Our experienced team at Chromak, is also highly qualified to understand and fulfill the demands & requirements of the clients with their botanical products.