Symposium tackles adulteration of botanical ingredients

Mollet del Valles (Spain), Following the great success of last year’s workshop, Euromed is once again partnering with the American Botanical Council (ABC), Extrasynthese, Botanicert and Hylobates to organise a symposium looking at how best to tackle adulteration of botanical ingredients.

The event will be hosted within the prestigious 67th International Congress and Annual Meeting of the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA) on 1 September 2019 in Innsbruck, Austria.

Entitled Economic Adulteration of Botanical Ingredients, the symposium promises participants a diversified programme, with expert lectures on the different aspects of botanical adulteration and fraud, case studies exploring the health risks associated with counterfeit ingredients, the role of sourcing, as well as prevention tools for the industry and propositions for risk reduction and better quality control.

Adulteration of natural health ingredients is a concern for global industry stakeholders, risk assessors and consumers alike. Despite strict regulations for herbal medicines in the EU, many products that contain botanicals – particularly those sold as food supplements – have reportedly been diluted or substituted with undeclared lower-cost ingredients.

The symposium is a continuation of the initial workshop on adulteration in health ingredients held in November 2018, and will bring together representatives from science, industry and the public sector. Expert speakers include Anna-Rita Bilia from the University of Florence and GA Director; Mark Blumenthal, founder and Executive Director of ABC; Luca Bucchini, Managing Director of Hylobates Consulting; Roy Upton, founder of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia; René De Vaumas, President of Extrasynthese; Julien Diaz, Botanicert; Anna Mulà, Head of Quality Unit at Euromed; Stefan Gafner, Chief Science Officer of ABC; Débora Frommenwiler, Camag AG, and others that will be confirmed soon.

A round-table discussion will conclude the workshop, with the aim of developing a consensus statement. Important insights will be provided by the US education initiatives from the nonprofit ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP).

As a herbal ingredients supplier, quality management, traceability and supply chain controls are key to Euromed. Andrea Zangara, the company’s Scientific Marketing Manager, explains: “Counterfeit products present a significant challenge to the industry, but more importantly, they put the health of consumers at risk. To support the fight against botanical adulteration and fraud, Euromed and the ABC, with the support of Hylobates Consulting, Extrasynthese and Botanicert, have organised this important symposium to provide insights into the problem and identify tools and practices for prevention.”

Breaks during the programme will provide the opportunity for professional and personal networking. The event will be held at the University of Innsbruck’s Center for Chemistry and Biomedicine. Since the number of places is limited, Euromed recommends registering early.

The pre-congress symposium can be booked alone or in addition to the main congress, which runs until 5 September, via the following link:http://www.ga2019.at/pre-congress-symposia/botanical-ingredient-adulteration.html

About EUROMED:
Founded in 1971 by the German pharmaceutical company MADAUS, EUROMED S.A. is a leading producer of standardised herbal extracts and natural active substances for the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, food and cosmetics industries.

Annually, a biomass of more than 5,000 tonnes is extracted at the company’s manufacturing facilities in Mollet del Vallès (Barcelona) and Molina de Segura (Murcia), Spain. The production plant in Murcia further expands EUROMED’s capabilities with eco-friendly technologies that use a sophisticated water-based extraction method, the Pure-Hydro Process.

All extracts comply with worldwide GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) norms, international pharmacopoeias and regulations. EUROMED has a long history of expertise in research and development, laboratory analyses and extraction technologies and is committed to the highest analytical, chemical and therapeutic quality standards. The company’s skills are now available to the rapidly expanding global nutraceutical market, which is increasingly seeking pharmaceutical-grade, plant-based solutions that support health.

For further information, please visit: www.euromed.es