AOAC adopts NOW glucosamine method

NOW Foods' glucosamine HPLC method has passed the AOAC's 2-year
validation process to become the first action official method for
testing the standards of the joint health ingredient.

Called Determination of glucosamine in raw materials and dietary supplements containing glucosamine sulfate and/or glucosamine hydrochloride by HPLC with FMOC-Su derivatization, the method was selected by the expert review panel in April 2003 as the best method for further laboratory validation.

Its success in this means it will be published in the Journal of AOAC International and become available to the industry this summer.

"Having NOW's method for glucosamine become the official AOAC method is a testament to the expertise of our staff, our focus on the science, and our commitment to quality," said Michael Lelah, technical director of NOW Foods.

The standard for glucosamine, a shrimp-meat by-product, is one of 25 validated analytical methods being drawn up by the not-for-profit scientific association's Dietary Supplements Task Force as part of its five-year contract with the National Institutes of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements, and the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.

The need for globally acceptable analytical standards was identified since, although standards exist for some ingredients in certain markets, they are not necessarily consistent with each other. Internationally-recognized standards give the industry a point of reference in case of dispute.

The contract expires next year but earlier this month NutraIngredients-USA.com reported that some industry members are keen to see the program extended to more ingredients. But with AOAC's cost for developing a standard for a single ingredient amounting to more than $150,000, funding for this would have to be sourced from the industry itself.