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Tests and Methodologies
Pesticide Screening by
The
National Food Laboratory Inc.
The National Food Laboratory Inc (The NFL) utilizes the FDA published
"Luke Method" to screen for pesticides. Each herb sample is taken
through a rigorous extraction and concentration procedure. This
concentrate is then analyzed using the specific compound detector
for each pesticide family, referencing against pure pesticide reference standards.
The specific compound detectors are as follows:
Flame
Photometric for organophosphates, referencing against
pure organophosphate reference standards.
Nitrogen
Phosphorus for organonitrogen, referencing against
pure organonitrogen reference standards.
Electron
Capture for Organochlorinated compounds, referencing
against pure organochloride reference standards.
- High
Performance Liquid Chromatography for N-Methyl Carbamates,
referencing against pure N-Methyl Carbamate reference standards.
Heavy Metal Screening by
The
Toxicology Group, LLC , a wholly owned company of NSF
International
Each herb sample is analyzed for heavy metals, with state of the
art analytical technologies, following US EPA Standard Methods and
AOAC protocols. NSF prepares each herb sample by microwave assisted
acid digestion and then performs each analysis based on US EPA method
200.8 - Determination of Trace Elements in
Waters and Wastes by Inductively
Coupled Plasma – Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS).
This methodology allows for rapid scanning, with low detection levels
and screens for arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead.
Microbiological Testing,
including Total Plate Count, E. coli, Yeast and Mold, Staphylococcus,
and Salmonella by the in-house laboratory. Validation
by The
National Food Laboratory Inc. (NFL)
Total Plate Count, E. coli and Yeast and
Mold testing follows stringent cGMP protocol and uses AOAC
(Association of Analytical Communities), AFNOR (France & Europe),
Health Protection Branch, and Compendium of Analytical Methods
(Canada) recognized ready to use 3M Petri film plates. 3M Petri
film plates are made at an ISO 9002 certified site.
Our laboratory tests for Total Plate Count, E. coli, yeast and
mold. Tests are validated by NFL, following FDA BAM methodology.
- Salmonella - Our laboratory uses Hardy
Diagnostic's USP and European Pharmacopoeia-recommended Eylose
Lysine Deoxycholate (XLD) Agar as a medium for isolating Salmonella
species.
Testing results are validated by NFL following the FDA BAM Vidas
method.
Aristolochic Acid Detection testing
by Exygen
Research
Exygen Research's premier Aristolochic Acid
Detection service is conducted under stringent US, FDA current Good
Manufacturing Practices (cGMPs).
Exygen follows the protocol of US, FDA Laboratory
Information Bulletin 4212 (Flurer et al., 2000) to detect the presence
or absence of trace levels of Aristolochic acid in products. Aristolochic
acid is extracted from the sample matrix with methanol: formic acid.
The analysis is conducted with a quantitative aliquot of extraction
fluid. Exygen uses FDA method LIB 4212, which includes a Liquid
Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) confirmatory
method, for the analysis and quantitation of Aristolochic acid.
This method is currently being validated by AOAC
(Association of Analytical Communities).
Testing Materials used
by the in-house laboratory are supplied by:
3M
Providing USP and AOAC approved testing materials 3M Petri film
TPC, 3M Petri film EC, and 3M Petri film Y.M.
Hardy Diagnostics
Providing BAIRD-PARKER AGAR and XLD AGAR
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