Planta Med 2015; 81 - PA11
DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1545140

Detection of adulteration in Maca dietary supplements using NMR spectroscopy

J Zhao 1, M Wang 1, IA Khan 1, 2, 3
  • 1National Center for Natural Products Research
  • 2Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, University of Mississippi, University, MS 38677, USA
  • 3Department of Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Maca, Lepidium meyenii Walpers (Brassicaceae), is a perennial, herbaceous plant grown on the high Andean plateaus. Its small, turnip-like root has been traditionally used as food. In recent years, maca has been used as an aphrodisiac, energizer, fertility enhancer, and is a so-called natural Viagra or Peruvian ginseng. As maca products have gained increasing popularity throughout the world, both the demand and price have increased dramatically. A global shortage of maca plant material has resulted in the commercial sale of seriously adulterated dietary supplements. In the present study, a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic method was developed to assess the quality of maca products sold on the market. The method can be used as a rapid tool for detection of maca adulteration.