Aug 5, 2008
Chinese supplier Fenchem has launched a testing method to detect fake ginkgo biloba, which has become more prevalent as increased demand has strained global supply.
The service will guarantee the quality of Fenchem’s own supply and the company said it would consider extending the service to other suppliers that wished to test their ginkgo wares.
Fake ginkgo is typically defined by the presence of introduced flavonoids from sources such as rutin – a citrus flavonoid glycoside found in buckwheat.
“Because of the limit of raw material resources, some suppliers try to add other components to ginkgo biloba extract to increase the content of flavonoids,” said Fenchem spokesperson Junny Lui. “This is very common in the market.”
The adulteration usually occurs via rutin being hydrolysed to flavonoid monomers to increase the overall flavonoid profile.
UV-HPLV
Lui said Fenchem had developed a simple, cost-effective testing system that employed a UV-HPLC detecting machine.
While the machine is commonly used by suppliers to test ingredients, Fenchem had developed a system to aid in “distinguishing the product origin”.
Testing for rutin contamination of ginkgo typically involves using a “sensitive and complicated” laboratory, a system Fenchem says it has simplified, and which “does not need extra cost and time.”
“The key point is our know-how which can not be found in the open UV-HPLC method,” Lui told NutraIngredients.com. “At present, we use this method only for Fenchem's product control. But if necessary, we could consider testing for other companies according to specific situations.”
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