Indian frankincense adulterated across industry? Experts issue quality control guidance

11 Aug 2022 --- Boswellia extracts are being adulterated and replaced with resins from similar species, according to a team of experts who have flagged the issue in a bulletin, aiming to provide guidance in identifying the issues.

The Laboratory Guidance Document (LGD) was authored by the ABC-AHP (American Herbal Pharmacopoeia) NCNPR (National Center for Natural Products Research at the University of Mississippi) Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP).

It explores quality control of Indian Frankincense – Boswellia oleo gum resin – and Boswellia extracts.

Indian frankincense has been valued for thousands of years for its fragrance and medicinal properties and is commonly called Boswellia in the global botanical industry.

“Two issues make the authentication of Boswellia serrata extracts particularly challenging. Some of the published data on the contents of the purported anti-inflammatory constituents, the boswellic acids, in Boswellia species appear to be based on erroneous species identification,” details Stefan Gafner, chief science officer at ABC and technical director of BAPP.

According to a bulletin, Indian frankincense is being adulterated and replaced with resins from similar species.“Therefore, the exact composition of the confounding species can be difficult to determine. Additionally, some of the commercial extracts are processed in a way that alters the relative amounts of the naturally-occurring boswellic acids, leading to a proprietary ingredient that has a very different composition than what is found in the oleogum resin.”

Gafner continues to say that he hopes “the information provided in the new BAPP LGD addresses these and other issues and will be useful to quality control analysts working with Boswellia serrata-derived ingredients.”

Authentication of extract
According to the guidance document, Indian frankincense is being adulterated and replaced with resins from similar species.

The unreported admixture or substitution of oleogum resins from other Boswellia species, particularly B. frereana, B. papyrifera, and B. sacra, has received the majority of attention in published data on Boswellia adulteration.

In situations where there are regionally recognized interchangeable uses, these substances may be utilized as acceptable replacements. If their inclusion is not openly stated on certificates of analysis or ingredient labels, this could possibly be due to local supply limitations or incorrect identification of B. Serrata along the supply chain. 

In that case, they may occasionally be used as adulterants.

“Because of their morphological and chemical similarities and similar medicinal uses, a host of oleogum resins were historically traded interchangeably and often without botanical specificity,” says Roy Upton, president of American Herbal Pharmacopoeia.

Indian frankincense, also known as Boswellia, has been valued for its aroma and therapeutic benefits for thousands of years.“In more recent decades, Boswellia serrata has emerged as the preferred source of Boswellia, at least from a nomenclatural perspective.”

Comparing the extracts for authenticity
To determine whether or not they can be used to verify the authenticity of Boswellia serrata oleogum resin and its extracts, the new LGD evaluates 46 analytical techniques.

Images of a side-by-side HPTLC (high-performance thin-layer chromatography) fingerprint comparison of Boswellia serrata and seven additional Boswellia species and myrrh (Commiphora myrrha) are included in the LGD.

For the Boswellia LGD, these HPTLC photos were explicitly created for BAPP.

“This document is perhaps the most detailed review of the differences of these resins conducted in the English language and should give any manufacturer using a Boswellia ingredient clarity of what it has, as well as perhaps expand specifications to allow for the interchangeable use of those species that are most similar,” adds Upton.

Boswellia properties explored
Previously, Sabinsa explored the immunomodulatory properties of Boswellia polysaccharides, pegging the ingredient as having been “long ignored.”

According to an India-based study, combining Bioiberica’s type II collagen, Collavant n2, with the herbal extract Boswellia serrata could lessen osteoarthritis symptoms within five days. Similarly, PLT Health Solutions’ Boswellia extract was also found effective after five days at 100 mg.

By Nicole Kerr