Recap: SoCal Dietary Supplements Chromatography Forum

Last month, Phenomenex hosted the SoCal Dietary Supplements Chromatography Forum—an all-day assembly co-sponsored by Alkemist Laboratories and US Pharmacopeia (USP) to discuss “the need and approach to modernizing USP dietary supplement monographs,” particularly those based upon chromatography. The event drew over 40 of the industry’s brightest minds and leading experts, heeding lecture topics such as Advancements in Chromatography for Dietary Supplements [Zeshan Aqeel: Applications Scientist, Phenomenex], Allowable Adjustments to USP Methods [Phil Koerner, PhD: Technical Manager, Phenomenex], and A Modern Approach to Compendial Testing for Dietary Products [Holly Johnson, PhD: Laboratory Director, Alkemist Laboratories].

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USP Scientific Liaison Anton Bzhelyansky also presented a talk on updating spectrophotometry to chromatography in compendial monographs. Afterward, forum participants gathered both in small groups and as a whole to discuss three questions of critical importance to the industry:

• What methods are in the greatest need of modernization and why?
• What challenges are there to modernize these methods under the USP allowable criteria?
• How would the method modernization actually be accomplished or implemented?

The group found that the methods in greatest need of modernization included fatty acid profile; total, soluble, and insoluble dietary fiber; macronutrients; carotenoids; Boswellia; chondroitin; multivitamins; and the conversion of titration and spectrographic methods to high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Sample complexity, standards availability, and validation constraints were listed as challenges of modernization, among many others. But, with collaborative efforts between USP, industry technology providers, and the dietary supplement industry itself, labs will be able to successfully implement such crucial changes. “USP gave critical feedback to attendees on questions,” Phenomenex Industry Marketing Manager Allen Misa explained. “The enthusiastic discussion of these questions confirmed the interest of the dietary supplement community for modernizing dietary supplement testing methods.”

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Related resources: • WEBINAR: Understand How to Apply USP Chapter <621> Allowable Adjustments to Your USP Pharmacopeia Methods • Optimizing Pharmacopoeia Monographs of Sugar Alcohol Excipients • Phenomenex Food & Beverage: Safety, Quality, and Resources • High Pressure Liquid Chromatography