Botanical and plant authenticity testing

Plant products, parts of plants, or botanicals are increasingly being used in food supplements, for medicinal purposes or just to season other foods. The variation is high, so it is important to know the exact botanical origin of a plant material to ensure the use is consistent with the product. Eurofins Food & Feed Testing laboratories support you detect adulteration, verify botanical origin, and examine 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 EU 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. For example, pure spices such as oregano or black pepper, as well as mixed seasonings such as curry or masala or fruit and vegetable ingredients in composite foods by

  • 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 individual analytical support? Contact us today to get in touch with our experts.

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