Analysis distribution company LGC Promochem is to distribute the ChromaDex reference standards, covering more than 2500 high purity phytochemicals, in Europe.
Extracted from natural plant material, the ChromaDex standards have been designed to verify the presence of active compounds - such as hypericin for St John's Wort or caftaric acid for Echinacea. They also help herbal product manufacturers measure the active agents in ingredients and check for toxic plant material.
LGC Promochem, which also distributes the US Pharmacopeia standards and analysis products for the food and pharmaceutical industry, says there is growing awareness from consumers and regulatory levels of the need for herbal reference standards and other quality control methods.
The recent Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products European Directive will also require comprehensive testing - ingredient lists and label claims must be verified for products marketed as herbals, health supplements and nutraceuticals.
The ChromaDex catalogue, 'Phytochemicals reference standards 03/04', available from LGC Promochem also features a selection guide recommending which phytochemical reference standard to use for a specific botanical or nutraceutical product. Within the alphabetical listing of each standard in the catalogue, product information includes the chemical structure, formula and family, molecular weight, appearance and other names used.
Elizabeth Bewick, general manager at LGC Promochem, said: "Given the current discussions at European level regarding setting standards in this sector, our launch of the ChromaDex range of botanical and nutraceutical reference standards is timely for producers of dietary supplements, functional foods and other plant-derived healthcare products based in Europe."
She said the user-friendly kits will allow producers to run their own in-house tests to achieve industry-validated results quickly.
Frank Jaksch Jr, president and CEO of ChromaDex, said the ChromaDex standards could improve accuracy and reliability in both the US and European supplement markets. The phytochemical reference standard kits cover the complete range of phytochemical classes available for over 60 common botanical products, according to the company. Each kit is supplied with the standards specified, certificates of analysis for each standard and a reference method (HPLC or GC).