Botanical and plant authenticity
Botanical and plant authenticity testing
Plant products, parts of plants, and botanicals are increasingly being used in food supplements, for medicinal purposes, and to season other foods. Eurofins Food & Feed Testing laboratories support you in detecting adulteration, verifying botanical origin, and examining label claims.
Applications for botanical authenticity testing
- Confirm that declared plant species or varieties on product labels are accurate
- Detect substitution with undeclared or lower-value plant material
- Support compliance with current regulation and labelling standards for plant products
- Monitor authenticity across retail, wholesale, food service, and import channels
Key methods
We test single-ingredient products and complex blends. This encompasses pure spices such as oregano or black pepper, as well as mixed seasonings such as curry or masala, and fruit and vegetable ingredients in composite foods. We use:
- DNA-based methods, like RT-PCR, qPCR or Next-Generation-Sequencing (NGS) linked to Molecular Biology Testing
- NMR profiling by comparing data with our own and officially available databases
- Microscopy of pure and mixed plant products
- Advanced techniques (GC/LC-HRMS) and targeted methods for single compounds characteristic of specific botanicals
- European Pharmacopoeia (Ph. Eur.) methods delivered in partnership with Eurofins BioPharma Product Testing companies
Advantages of using our botanical authenticity testing
- Accredited methods for plant identification where applicable
- Ability to assess mixtures containing more than two species
- No prior disclosure of the species required
- High throughput and scalable capacity
- Comparison with databases containing thousands of plant species
- Expert interpretation and support
Get in touch
Would you like to find out more about our testing solutions, or do you need tailored analytical support? Contact us today to get in touch with our experts.