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Genome skimming approach shows promise in paper comparing DNA techniques By Hank Schultz FDA scientists have advanced the state of the art in the use of DNA identification techniques in a paper focusing on the verification of echinacea supplements. A gene skimming approach tested in the study showed promise over the up-to-now benchmark DNA barcoding techniques.
The paper, titled
HPLC‐UV, Metabarcoding and Genome Skims of Botanical Dietary Supplements: A Case Study in Echinacea, was published in the journal
Planta Medica. The research was performed by a team led by Dr. Sara Handy, PhD of the Office of Regulatory Science at FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. It compared the results obtained from the two DNA approaches with data generated by an accepted chemical analytical technique.
Rhodiola supply: Experts call for control of international wild supply, recommend more cultivation Increasing demand for Rhodiola rosea L. – which is primarily from wild sources – is straining the global supply, and controls need to be introduced to monitor the trade of wild R. rosea, according to a new review.
Experts from Traditional Medicinals (USA), University of KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa), Murdoch University (Australia), Bundesamt für Naturschutz (Germany), also called for the supply to transition to cultivation, some of which are already operating in North America.
Demand for products formulated with
Rhodiola rosea has been increasing, with forms of the herb in trade including dry extracts in solid dosage forms such as capsules and tablets, liquid extracts, cut, dried rhizome and root, and powdered rhizome and root.