Microbial contamination in herbal medicines: a serious health hazard to elderly consumers.

INTRODUCTION: The use of herbal medicine is on the rise worldwide, and safety issues associated with herbal medicines may have an exacerbated impact in elderly because this population has an increased susceptibility and sensitivity to health complications due to the aging process. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was carried out at a primary health care unit in the city of Macapa, Brazil. The herbal medicines used and the sociodemographic characteristics of 123 voluntarily consenting participants were collected using a structured questionnaire. A total of 132 herbal medicines with oral or topical administration were donated by the elderly for microbial analysis before consumption, and 18 water samples used in the preparation of homemade herbal medicines were collected. Bacterial and fungal counts and identification of bacterial pathogens (Escherichia coli, Salmonella spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus) were performed according to the regulations of the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia and World Health Organization. Water analysis for the detection of coliforms and E. coli was carried out using Colilert® according to the manufacturer's instructions and the techniques established by Standard Methods. RESULTS: Of the study participants, 78.8% were women. Bacterial growth was observed in samples from 51.5% of study and 35.6% had fungal growth. A total of 31.8% of the herbal medicine samples exceeded the safety limits (CFU/g ≤ 105), including 16.7% of the homemade herbal medicines and 15.1% of the commercial herbal medicines. It was also found that 31.0% of the samples exceeded the safety limit for fungal growth. The microorganisms most commonly isolated from the herbal medicines were S. aureus (49.2%), followed by Salmonella spp. (34.8%), E. coli (25.8%), and P. aeruginosa (14.4%). Of water samples analyzed, 77.8% were positive for total coliforms (1 ml) and in 66.7% water samples E. coli was detected (1 ml), making them unfit for consumption. CONCLUSIONS: The use of homemade and commercial herbal medicines is a major risk to the health of elderly who use these therapies due to the lack of microbial quality standards. We observed levels of viable bacteria and fungi that were above safety limits; in addition, we were able to isolate pathogenic bacteria from these herbal medicines.

Flash Vacuum-Expansion Process: Effect on the Sensory, Color and Texture Attributes of Avocado (Persea americana) Puree.

The flash vacuum-expansion process (FVE) consists of two stages. In the first, the raw material is heated by a steam flow in a chamber at 101.325 kPa; in the second, the plant material passes into an expansion chamber (2 to 5 kPa), where the disintegration of the tissues occur. The puree obtained from the avocado pulp subjected to the first stage of the process was evaluated sensorial and instrumentally (T1), in the same way the puree obtained from fruits that were subjected to the whole process (T2) was evaluated, these were compared with avocado puree obtained by means of a food processor (control). The parameters shiny, avocado-like, luminosity, stretching and hue are more significant to describe the puree control, while boiled vegetable and homogeneity to describe T1; grainy texture, adhesiveness and fibrous are more significant to describe T2.

Cluster analysis of commercial samples of Bauhinia spp. using HPLC-UV/PDA and MCR-ALS/PCA without peak alignment procedure.

INTRODUCTION: Bauhinia forficata Link. is recognised by the Brazilian Health Ministry as a treatment of hypoglycemia and diabetes. Analytical methods are useful to assess the plant identity due the similarities found in plants from Bauhinia spp. HPLC-UV/PDA in combination with chemometric tools is an alternative widely used and suitable for authentication of plant material, however, the shifts of retention times for similar compounds in different samples is a problem. OBJECTIVE: To perform comparisons between the authentic medicinal plant (Bauhinia forficata Link.) and samples commercially available in drugstores claiming to be "Bauhinia spp. to treat diabetes" and to evaluate the performance of multivariate curve resolution - alternating least squares (MCR-ALS) associated to principal component analysis (PCA) when compared to pure PCA. METHODOLOGY: HPLC-UV/PDA data obtained from extracts of leaves were evaluated employing a combination of MCR-ALS and PCA, which allowed the use of the full chromatographic and spectrometric information without the need of peak alignment procedures. RESULTS: The use of MCR-ALS/PCA showed better results than the conventional PCA using only one wavelength. Only two of nine commercial samples presented characteristics similar to the authentic Bauhinia forficata spp., considering the full HPLC-UV/PDA data. CONCLUSION: The combination of MCR-ALS and PCA is very useful when applied to a group of samples where a general alignment procedure could not be applied due to the different chromatographic profiles. This work also demonstrates the need of more strict control from the health authorities regarding herbal products available on the market.

Regulation of herbal medicines in Brazil.

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE: Rich Brazilian biodiversity is accompanied by a long acceptance of medicinal plants and traditional knowledge by the Brazilian population. To improve the regulatory framework for herbal medicines in Brazil, ANVISA recently revised its legislations. The aim of this study is to discuss the new Brazilian standards for herbal medicines regulation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The national and international legislation on herbal medicines was revised to prepare new Brazilian standards. This new legislation is discussed. RESULTS: This new proposed regulation separates herbal into two categories: herbal medicines (HM) and traditional herbal product (THP). The safety and efficacy of HM must be proven by clinical data. ANVISA recognizes some plants as safe and effective; therefore, the registration of these species can be simplified. ANVISA also recognizes the monographs of the European community as simplified registrations. THP can prove their safety and effectiveness by tradition of use or following a simplified registration. CONCLUSION: Brazil has been altering their legal standards for herbal medicines, based on harmonization with internationally practiced requirements and the characteristics of the Brazilian market, facilitating the safe access and rational use of medicinal plants and herbal products to Brazilian population.

Capillary electrophoretic methods for the screening and determination of pharmacologic adulterants in herbal-based pharmaceutical formulations.

This review aims to describe the CE methods utilized for the determination of adulterants in herbal-based formulations marketed for different therapeutic purposes. The CE methods for screening and determination of pharmacologic adulterants are reviewed on the basis of the CE techniques and their detection methods. CZE and MEKC methods coupled to optical (UV), capacitively coupled contactless conductivity, and MS detection modes are discussed and reviewed. Worldwide adulteration cases related to pharmaceutical formulations containing herbs as the main active products are presented covering all the works published in the last four decades.