Controlli di qiualità e sicurezza : materie prime, produzione, prodotto finito, contraffazione

Nutraceutical science concerns with the use of different nutrient sources (functional food, food/ dietary supplements, products from traditional medicine, etc.) to improve the consumers’ health and decrease the risk factors for chronic diseases (tumours, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases). The ingredients of these classes of products are vitamins, minerals, amino acids, but also botanicals preparations used as such (infusion) or as extracts. Products used in the nutraceutical approaches must guarantee the efficacy and safety for consumers; controls are necessary not only at the site of production but also when the products reach the market. Considering botanicals, the raw material requires: identification of the plant material; identification and quantification of active molecules involved in the beneficial/physiological effect or whose presence could determine a risk for consumers; data on environmental contaminants (chemical pollution) or residues from agricultural practice. Other important aspects having a strong impact on consumers’ safety are the numerous cases of counterfeit or addition of illicit substances (doping, conventional drugs, etc.) described in the scientific literature or listed in national and international alerts. Quality control requires suitable methods, capable to separate and quantify the molecules monitored. Methods should be selected according to the objectives: fast and simple methods are used for the screening, especially if the number of samples is very high (thin layer chromatography in its traditional or advanced protocol, TLC and HPTLC); advanced techniques are required for the precise characterization and quantification of ingredients (GC/HPLC with different detectors including mass spectrometer) at the industrial plan or by public institution involved in postmarketing surveillance. The reliability of analytical methods is also essential if a legal trial is underway. Method application to real samples is not always simple since the complexity of the matrix (very usual in products containing botanicals) can affect the validation of methods developed with purified analytes.