The DNA Approach to Botanicals

As a result, Herbalife uses DNA analysis to complement, not replace, other analytical methods in its toolkit. To conduct the DNA testing, the company uses Sanger sequencing, which is the industry standard. Herbalife is also investing in technology and development for the next-generation sequencing methods.

Testing begins by gathering samples from the raw materials that arrive at manufacturing sites. These raw materials can vary in botanical type, part used, and degree of processing. For downstream DNA testing applications, it is essential for DNA to be of optimum concentration and purity, and dependent on application, these characteristics need to be obtained independent of the type of botanical material. Herbalife developed a high-throughput quality control method to deal with various materials the company uses in its products.

Herbalife’s paper on DNA testing methods was the first such paper on this technology presented to the AOAC. Christopher Thompson, an analytical scientist at Herbalife Nutrition, presented “Comparison and Optimization of High-Throughput DNA Extraction Methods for Varied Botanicals” at its International Annual Meeting in Dallas in September 2016.

DNA testing in the nutritional industry is here to stay. University researchers are developing tools to help significantly reduce the cost of DNA tests by 90 percent, and there may soon be a process as simple as sticking a probe into an ingredient container and immediately obtaining the DNA data without extraction or preparation.

Swanson is senior vice president, quality assurance and control, at Herbalife. He can be reached at [email protected].