Abstract
The above-ground plant material from Passiflora incarnata is used for relief of symptoms of mental stress and to aid sleep. In Europe, passionflower
products are marketed either as registered herbal medicinal products or as food supplements.
Passionflower products for sleep disorders are increasingly recommended to patients
by physicians or by social advertisement, but the potential consumers are in most
cases not able to differentiate between food supplements or licensed herbal medicinal
products. Analytical investigations by validated protocols on passionflower food supplements
and registered medicinal products from different sources were performed to obtain
an insight into the actual quality situation. TLC fingerprinting revealed the non-identity
of five food supplements, while six products met the specification (five registered
herbal medicinal products and one food supplement). A validated UHPLC method confirmed
this result. LC-MS identified one food supplement
containing only hyperoside and lacking other passionflower-related compounds. Quantitative
determination of flavones by photometric protocol, as well as by a calibrated UHPLC,
indicated that five out of six food supplements did not meet the specified content
and identity, suggesting instances of food fraud. All registered herbal medicinal
products conformed to the specification. As this analytical investigation is in line
with other reports on the low quality of food supplements, transparent and intensified
quality control is recommended. In addition, routine analyses of every batch using
validated procedures by manufacturers on a batch-by-batch basis should provide a secure
basis for improved product quality and for the safety of the consumer.
Keywords
Passiflora incarnata
- Passifloraceae - flavone - food fraud - food supplements - quality
