INS Farms makes commitment to authenticate its elderberry extracts

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According to the Botanical Adulterants Prevention Program (BAPP), there is a high amount of adulteration in elderberry. In fact, the chief science officer of the American Botanical Council (ABC), Stefan Gafner, PhD, said five out of 25 bulk dry extracts and two out of eight finished products were found to be devoid of any elderberry.

INS Farms (Purdy, MO), a grower and supplier of North American elderberry, said the company is committed to continued authentication of its elderberry. “Quality of product is based on authenticating identity of the raw material from the field through delivery to the customer,” said Devin Bennett, CEO of INS Farms, in a press release. “Among the tests we perform are polyphenol fingerprinting for identification and DNA barcoding by Tru-ID for authenticity to ensure there are no diluents, cross contamination, or the presence of any other molecular compound other than what it should be: elderberry.”

“We address authenticity right from the field starting with the whole berry,” Bennet adds. “We purchase fresh berries, make our own concentrates and powders, and then ship directly to customers, along with the guarantee that the product is authenticated as elderberry with a guaranteed potency of total polyphenols asserted Bennett.”

He advised that low prices of elderberry raw material signify inferior quality. “To help fight against adulteration, any nutraceutical manufacturer that is suspicious and concerned of the quality of elderberry should first have the elderberry tested by Tru-ID for authenticity and also send the elderberry to a third-party lab, such as Complete Phyto Chemical Solutions and Alkemist, for analysis of total polyphenols and anthocyanins,” Bennett concludes.