Half of turmeric extracts fail quality and labeling tests, reveals NOW investigation

09 Aug 2021 --- A test from NOW, a producer of natural products, has revealed that 12 out of 23 tested turmeric extracts failed either against the benchmark of potency or for containing synthetic curcuminoids, heavy metals or used gelatin caps instead of the claimed veggie capsules.

The analysis involved undisclosed brand product samples and two NOW products purchased from Amazon in June 2021.

However, 11 out of 23 did pass all tests, though with slightly misleading labeling.

Supplement misinformation
The products were tested for potency both at the company’s internal labs and at Eurofins Labs. The assay method is RP-HPLC with UV detection and potencies determined based on total curcuminoids per capsule.

“While we appreciate Amazon’s initial efforts to address these ongoing, egregious problems with sellers on their platform, there is still a long way to go,” says Dan Richard, NOW’s vice president of global sales and marketing.

“The kind of results we found are not what consumers expect when they purchase dietary supplements from sellers they trust.”NOW’s testing revealed inaccuracies in labeling and found heavy metals and synthetic ingredients present in products.

The company previously tested multiple categories of suspect supplements purchased on Amazon, revealing low potency and poor quality control.

Labeling accuracy
Initially, the unknown brands appeared to test better than expected. One product failed potency testing and four others tested very low, but without any specific label claim.

The findings then revealed that nearly all products were labeled “turmeric curcumin 1,650 mg” on the front panel. However, the side panel of the products would list 1,500 mg as “turmeric root,” 300 mg “ginger root,” 150 mg “turmeric extract” and 15 mg “bioperine” for three capsules each.

The results of 655 mg per capsule revealed that less than 10 percent of the product is turmeric 95 percent standardized extract.

“This can be perceived as deceptive since many customers do not know the difference between turmeric, turmeric extract, curcumin extract and standardized 95 percent extract,” adds Richard.

Strong heavy metal presence
The average total heavy metals, by product, were 525 percent higher than NOW’s two-sample average, and only one product out of 23 had fewer heavy metals than the company.

Two products were more than 20 times higher than NOW and above California’s Prop 65 limits for lead.

Also, two brands were both above 100 ppb in cadmium, a particularly toxic heavy metal.

Concern of synthetic adulteration
Synthetic adulteration was an additional issue in NOW’s testing. Low-quality curcumin is known to be spiked with synthetic curcumin to meet potency testing. Synthetic curcumin is derived from petrochemicals rather than natural turmeric at a much lower cost.To pass potency tests, low-quality curcumin is known to be spiked with synthetic curcumin in products.

NOW sent all samples to the University of Georgia’s Center for Applied Isotope Studies for independent radiocarbon testing. The results revealed that four out of 23 unfamiliar brands were spiked with “fossil fuel derived organic carbon.”

NOW also suspected that some of these products might be mislabeled as vegetarian capsules. Of the 23 samples tested, two were found to use animal gelatin capsules.

A need for accurate labeling
Other recent investigations have highlighted the disparity between labeling and ingredients in the nutrition industry.

According to Ireland’s Waterford Institute of Technology study, 61 percent of 46 eye health supplement goods marketed in Europe, Mexico and the US do not contain the amount of carotenoids claimed on the labels.

Last month, a partnership involving ABC, AHP and BAPP was formed to address the dietary food supplement industry’s continued challenges with adulteration.

By Nicole Kerr