Adulteration In Raw Materials Research Articles

Standardization of Proprietary Ayurvedic Laxative Tablet Formulation – Vasulax

Traditional systems of medicine gain upsurge with the estimated 80% preference for maintenance of healthcare in the entire world. As a rich source for the treatment of diseases, Ayurvedic medicine’s consumption have increased day by day which has led to an increase in various forms of adulteration in raw materials. In a view of increasing demand, it is very crucial to maintain batch-to-batch consistency and efficacy avoiding adulteration and safety issues. Thus, standardization of Ayurvedic medicine in all aspects including phytochemical profiling becomes crucial for the manufacturer. So, the present study portrays standardization of an Ayurvedic proprietary laxative tablet comprising Yashtimadhu, Swarnpatri and Aragvadha as major components. General parameters of tablet were evaluated as per Indian Pharmacopoeia method for quality control purpose. For quantification of phytoconstituents, Sennoside-B was selected as a phytomarker of Swarnpatri & Aragvadha and Monoammonium glycyrrhizinate was selected as a phytomarker of Yashtimadhu. Both the markers were effectively quantified using HPTLC method. The Sennoside B and Monoammonium glycyrrhizinate contents in formulation were found to be 5.10 % and 0.634 % w/w, respectively. These standardization tools will help in maintaining the quality and consistency of this vital Ayurvedic formulation.

A dynamic model for managing adulteration risks of dairy industry supply chain in Indonesia

Supply chain has a principal role in supporting the development of milk processing industry. The supply chain of the dairy industry in Indonesia involves a number of actors and a variety of dairy handling that may lead into potential risks and failures. One of the risks affecting supply chain performance is the adulteration of raw materials. This condition can possibly result in the occurrence of chain’s effect. Thus, it is necessary to build a dynamic model to handle such problems. Dynamic modeling was used in this study. For the initial phase, determination of supply chain risk factor was investigated. Second, modeling of supply chain mitigation risk was conducted by using dynamic system. Dynamic models were used to analyse complex problems with many variables involved. The problem analysis results were modeled in a dynamic system that has an aim to reduce the risk of adulteration. This research has successfully constructed a model consisted of one main variable that can potentially reduce the risk. The foremost recommended strategy was to improve the transparency of supply chain management.

PA02.24. Importance of microscopic techniques for the identification/authentication of herbal medicines

Acceptance of Ayurveda is increasing in the society because of disclosure of its strong fundamental concepts and holistic approach. As a result, demand of Ayurvedic medicines are increasing day by day which results in the unprecedented requirement and depletion of raw materials, especially those of herbal origin. This depletion of herbs along with ignorance of herbal drug collectors from wild sources causes adulteration of drugs. Misinterpretation of Sanskrit slokas from classical texts also plays an important role. Adulteration of raw materials adversely affects the safety and efficacy of Ayurvedic preparations. Therefore standardization and documentation is essential to ensure the genunity of ayurvedic drugs. Identification and Authentication of medicinal plants are normally done by different methods like organoleptic, macroscopic, microscopic and chemical characters. Among them, microscopic techniques are one of the most important methods. The present work reveals the various microscopic characters to determine their authentication, genuity etc.

Routine Screening for the Presence of Adulteration in Raw Materials Using Automated Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

In an effort to increase the security of the supply chain for raw materials used in the manufacture of human therapeutics, a routine screen to detect the presence of adulteration using fully automated nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy has been developed and qualified for use in quality control laboratories. The method involves the collection of one-dimensional (1)H and (13)C spectra, which are subsequently processed to identify and quantitate raw material constituents by comparison to a spectral database. The resulting method is an easy-to-use limit test that can automatically determine the integrity of incoming raw materials. The method is intended to be used in good manufacturing practice production facilities and is suitable for excipients and aqueous soluble raw materials used in biopharmaceutical processes. In an effort to increase the security of the supply chain for raw materials used in the manufacture of human therapeutics, a routine screen to detect the presence of adulteration using fully automated nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy has been developed and qualified for use in quality control laboratories. The method involves the collection of NMR spectra, which are subsequently processed to identify and quantitate raw material constituents by comparison to a spectral database. The resulting method is an easy-to-use limit test that can automatically determine the integrity of incoming raw materials. The method is intended to be used in good manufacturing practice production facilities and is suitable for excipients and aqueous soluble raw materials used in biopharmaceutical processes.

Rapid screening test for adulteration in raw materials of dietary supplements

Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (ATR) sampling was evaluated for use in screening for adulteration in raw materials used in the formulation and manufacture of dietary supplements. ATR requires minimal-to-no sample preparation and the method runs in less than ten minutes, providing a robust, rapid screening test for a variety of possible adulterants in the raw materials of dietary supplements. Spectral comparison methods targeting structural similarities of known adulterants were developed. In this study, FTIR-ATR was used to detect the presence of known adulterants intentionally spiked into dietary ingredients, including erectile dysfunction drugs, steroids, weight loss drugs and Melamine.

Potential of Raman Spectroscopy and Imaging Methods for Rapid and Routine Screening of the Presence of Melamine in Animal Feed and Foods

The impact of melamine-contaminated animal feed ingredients on food safety has become a major public concern ever since melamine was identified as the organic compound responsible for the deaths of a significant number of cats and dogs in 2007 by way of adulterated pet food. Melamine, a common industrial chemical often added to resins to improve flame resistance and proposed as an alternative form of fertilizer-N for plant growth, was found to be intentionally added to animal feed in amounts ranging from 0.2% to 8% of total mass as a way to boost the products’ apparent protein content. It was also used as a binder in the production of pelleted feed for animals. In addition to melamine, a small amount of cyanuric acid, ammeline, and ammelide were also detected in pet feed and in the tissues and urine of dead pets that had consumed the contaminated food. Even though it is possible that cyanuric acid, ammeline, and ammelide were added, their presence more likely resulted from the degraded derivatives of melamine. There is a great concern that melamine will again enter the food chain and be consumed by humans and animals. As part of the Food Protection Plan, US federal agencies such as the FDA and FSIS and other organizations have established GCMS and LC-MS/MS procedures for the analysis of melamine in food/feed commodities. Although they can detect melamine contaminants in trace amount, these time-consuming laboratory procedures require chemical solvents for the extraction steps and depend on expensive mass spectrometry. Rapid, nondestructive, and routine methods for the specific detection of melamine in raw feed materials are increasingly important, not only for public health concerns but also for melamine screening to prevent protein fraud. Undoubtedly, the well-defined mass spectroscopic technique is preferred due to its low detection limit and capability for structural elucidation; however, since adulteration of raw materials by melamine usually occurs in higher concentrations in order to affect protein content, the high sensitivity of the mass spectroscopic technique may not be necessary. In addition, mass spectrometry might not be sufficiently rapid to screen for the presence of melamine in a large number of food/feed materials from very different sources, because the identification process includes sample-specific extraction procedures, which are labor-intensive and time-consuming. Fast melamine screening requires minimal sample preparation (e.g., no extraction or centrifugation), routine analysis of a number of samples without reagents, minimal procedural steps, and easy operation and interpretation of results. The Raman technique, which has been used to obtain structural information on melamine, is an alternative approach that can be applied to solid materials with no sample pretreatment. In addition, the use of the Fourier transform (FT) methodology and a 1064 nm excitation laser in the near-infrared (NIR) region provides precise wavenumber measurement and good-quality Raman spectra by reducing the interference from fluorescence and photodecomposition of colorants present in food and feed. Raman studies of melamine and melamine-modified resins have been reported in the literature, and the results have revealed the feasibility of the Raman technique for the structural characterization of melamine state in resins. However, there have been few reports on Raman investigation and identification of melamine in complex food and feed systems. The objectives of this study were (1) to identify the characteristic Raman bands in melamine-contaminated wheat flour, corn gluten, and soybean meal mixtures; and (2) to develop simple and universal ratio algorithms for qualitative and quantitative analysis of melamine in mixtures. The ultimate goal is to develop both Raman spectroscopy and Raman chemical imaging methods for rapid, accurate, nondestructive, specific, and routine screening of the presence of melamine in food and feed for public/animal safety and security.