24 - Advances in Testing for Adulteration of Food Supplements

Abstract

Food supplements refer to preparations consumed to compensate for nutrients that might not be present in the diet in sufficient quantities. These products are categorized as food in some countries, while in others they are considered as drugs or natural health products. As with many other consumable products in high demand, market competition and shifts in consumer interest have led to concern over whether rigid quality control procedures are implemented on such products. In this chapter, we present an overview of the topic of food supplement adulteration, beginning with an introduction to the forms, uses, applications, and implications of the products followed by a thorough description of the adulteration methods and an account of reported examples. Methods of adulteration detection and testing are divided into chromatographic techniques or spectroscopic techniques and discussed.