Date/Time
Date(s) - Jun 10, 2026
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Part of AOAC Webinar Series on Method Development
Wednesday, June 10 — 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM ET
Botanical identity testing is fundamental to the quality and safety of dietary supplements, supporting regulatory compliance, consumer protection, and brand integrity. This presentation will introduce a practical toolbox of botanical identification approaches—including morphological, chemical, and genomic methods—and compare their respective strengths, limitations, and appropriate use cases. Building on this, we will present a fit-for-purpose framework for selecting and developing methods tailored to different botanical materials. Finally, we will review guidelines for evaluating identification method performance, with a focus on Probability of Identification (POI), and discuss challenges and practical solutions for implementing this approach for botanical ID methods validation in routine quality control.
Presented by Zhengfei Lu (Herbalife)
Dr. Zhengfei Lu is a Principal Scientist at Herbalife, where he leads a quality control scientist team focused on analytical method development, validation, and external scientific engagement. He holds a Ph.D. in Experimental Pathology from the University of Southern California (2014) and a medical degree from Peking University (2008), and brings more than 20 years of combined experience in molecular biology and analytical chemistry. Beyond his role at Herbalife, he serves on the USP Expert Committees for Botanical Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicines (2020–2025) and Non-Botanical Dietary Supplements (2025–2030), and is actively involved in AOAC INTERNATIONAL activities, including serving as a guest editor for the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL. Dr. Lu’s research has been published in peer-reviewed journals including Food Chemistry, Planta Medica, and the Journal of AOAC INTERNATIONAL, and his publications have been cited over 1,000 times in books and journal articles related to food and dietary supplement quality and safety.
