Botanical Ingredients and Dietary Supplement Integrity program (BIDSI)

AOAC INTERNATIONAL has 20 years of experience in providing analytical solutions for the botanical ingredient and dietary supplement sector. To address the new and ongoing analytical challenges in this industry, AOAC has developed a new Botanical Ingredients and Dietary Supplement Integrity (BIDSI) program.

Background

From 2013 to 2018, AOAC, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements, embarked on a large-scale stakeholder program to develop much needed consensus-driven performance standards and analytical methods for ingredients used in dietary supplements. As a result of this five-year effort, 34 SMPRs were adopted and 16 methods were approved for First Action Status as Official Methods of Analysis^SM for 25 high priority ingredients.

In the years since the program’s completion, product offerings, availability, and usage have expanded exponentially and brought greater attention to recognized analytical gaps needed to support dietary supplement quality and safety for producers and consumers. Performance standards and current Official Methods of Analysis^SM may not be suitable i.e., fit-for-purpose, to quantify analytes in products such as chewable gels, soft gels, and tablets.

To assist the dietary supplement industry, testing laboratories, and retail establishments, this new working group is working to establish new SMPRs and fit-for-purpose Official Methods of Analysis^SM that meet stakeholder needs and provide greater confidence to consumers.

Benefits for Participating

For the Dietary Supplement Community:

• Ensure project priorities meet your needs through AOAC’s unique standard development process
• Encourage the development of Official Methods which provide the highest level of analytical confidence for authenticity claims and detect fraudulent adulteration in priority commodities
• Provide a validated analytical means needed to meet regional and internationally adopted regulatory requirements
• Protect producers, retailers, and consumers alike, maintain the product reputation, and ultimately improve the quality and safety of the food supply
• Develop capability for meeting the new and emerging testing requirements of large retailers

For Method Developers:

• Influence the development of consensus standards, which will be used by AOAC Expert Review Panels to evaluate your candidate methods for possible adoption as AOAC Official Methods of Analysis^SM
• AOAC Official Methods of Analysis^SM will be the benchmark for trade resolution, industry testing, to instill consumer confidence, and contribute to consumer safety

For All:

• Create much-needed reference methods for commodities that do not currently exist
• Generate reliable data for effective compliance-driven quality control of dietary supplement

Workstreams

Functional Mushrooms Initiative

Functional mushrooms are currently utilized by the dietary supplement, food, and pharmaceutical industries. New uses and applications of these nutritive and bioactive ingredients continue to expand, including their utilization as alternatives to meat. To address the need for standardized methods, AOAC is forming an Advisory Panel (AP) of organizations to prioritize and scope the needs of this community.