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Determination of Toxic Elements in Botanical Dietary Supplement Ingredient Reference Materials
Jennifer Fong Sam1, Adam J Kuszak2, Patrick J Gray1
1Food and Drug Administration, Chemical Contaminants Branch, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
Journal of AOAC International
|July 27, 2024
Summary
This study determined toxic element content in botanical dietary supplement reference materials. Results provide crucial data for accurate analysis of supplements, ensuring consumer safety by identifying potential contaminants like arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
Area of Science:
- Analytical Chemistry
- Materials Science
- Food Safety
Background:
- The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides botanical dietary supplement Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) and reference materials (RMs).
- Existing SRMs/RMs often lack assigned values for toxic elements like arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), and mercury (Hg).
- Environmental contamination poses a risk in botanical dietary supplements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the content of As, Cd, Pb, and Hg in NIST's botanical dietary supplement SRMs/RMs.
- To expand the available reference data for toxic elements in these materials.
Main Methods:
- Analyzed 38 botanical SRMs/RMs, including plant parts, extracts, and solid oral dosage forms (SODFs).
- Utilized nitric acid microwave-assisted digestion.
- Quantified toxic elements using inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).
Main Results:
- Analysis of control samples showed good agreement with certified values.
- Extraction processes can reduce or, in some cases, increase toxic element concentrations (As, Hg).
- Comprehensive toxic element data were generated for previously uncharacterized SRMs/RMs.
Conclusions:
- This study addresses knowledge gaps regarding toxic element levels in botanical SRMs/RMs, particularly for Hg and in extract/SODF matrices.
- The generated data enables researchers to select appropriate reference materials for analyzing dietary supplements.
- Enhanced availability of toxic element data improves the reliability of dietary supplement quality control.
