Botanicals Identification and Testing Course

This training provides an overview of the guidance on testing methodology, specifications and ingredient identification for botanicals. Combining extensive industry experience and real-world case studies with flexible and convenient training, participants in NSF’s botanical identification and testing course will:

• Identify botanical unknowns
• Investigate the characterization of botanicals
• Differentiate between natural and adulterated botanicals
• Review organoleptic characterization
• Learn how high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) can be used for testing adulterated botanical identification
• Make sense of complex steps to ensure testing methods are scientifically valid for species identification

In this section, you will learn about:

• Adulteration in botanicals
• Complexity within botanicals
• Variations
• Reference materials
• Evaluation tools
• Spectroscopic techniques
• Chromatographic techniques
• Spectrometric techniques
• Spectroscopic techniques
• Genomic techniques

In this section, you will learn about:

• Herbs in supplements
• Brief overview of Good Agricultural and Collection Practices and Good Manufacturing for Botanical Materials
• Specifications
• 21 CFR Part 111
  • Subpart E 111.70 Establishment of specification for identity, purity, strengths and composition
  • Subpart J 111:320 Requirements for laboratory methods for testing and examination
  • Subpart E 111.75 Meeting specifications/test methods
• Selecting scientifically valid methods
• Botanical identification, adulteration
• Review organoleptic characterization