AHPA Seminar Provides cGMP Compliance Tools

SILVER SPRING, Md.The American Herbal Products Association's (AHPA) free teleseminar provided new tools for compliance to current good manufacturing practices (cGMPs).

The seminar, "Chromatography for the Identification of Popular Botanicals," took place on June 12 and focused on the usage of chromatography, particularly automated flash column chromatography (AFCC), for verifying the identity of botanical ingredients, primarily extracts and complex mixtures.

James Neal-Kababick, director of Flora Research Laboratories, presented the information and began by referencing cGMP regulations, their impact on the industry and how chromatography can be used as a tool for compliance with regards to identity and specifications.

He discussed AFCC in greater detail, as well as its role in the rapid isolation, purification and characterization of compounds. Neal-Kababick also introduced a new "one pass flash" method designed to eliminate time-intensive sample prep work. He explained how it complements other characterization techniques to ensure dietary ingredients are properly identified with minimal time and expense.

"What I enjoy about AFCC is that it allows, in many cases, for companies to get more out of their existing workhorse techniques like high performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), ultra-violet/visible spectroscopy, infra-red spectroscopy and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), which means they can comply with the demanding regulations in many cases without having to resort to more expensive and complex instrumentation," Neal-Kababick said. 

AHPA will present a workshop on flash chromatography in Deerfield, IL, on July 18 to July 19. The workshop will offer practical training on AFCC equipment.

View the INSIDER slide show "GMPs for Dummies" to learn more about meeting requirements for dietary supplement GMPs.