The European Project PlantLIBRA : creation of an International Network of laboratories with expertise in the analysis of plant/extract/plant food supplements

The European PlantLIBRA research project, aiming to foster the safe use of food supplements containing plants or botanical preparation, along its four years of activity has achieved the following main objectives: - the creation of a metadata base containing data on: consumption, risks and benefits, biological activity of constituents, contaminants, methods to identify and control PFS; - the organization of a Network of laboratories with expertise in the analysis of plant/extract/plant food supplements. For the ultimate the protection of the consumers the quality and safety of herbal ingredients must be guaranteed emphasizing the need for stricter regulations and controls of botanical products by specialized laboratories. For this purpose PlantLIBRA has created an international network of laboratories with the aim of providing an integrated resource made available for decision-makers, both in the public and private sectors. The main goals of the network are: • provide reliable scientific support regarding methods for the identification of plant material, analysis of bioactive constituents that have positive or negative health effects, detection of environmental contaminants or residues from agriculture activities, analysis of biological markers useful to evaluate exposure, • support the work of international organizations involved in the food safety together with food manufacturers in achieving high quality products; • provide analytical tools to European Poison Centers for rapid identification of plant ingredients involved in the adverse effects. In the poster the results related to the comprehensive information that demonstrated the competencies for each laboratory in different analytical fields, the tools and the way in which the network was organized are described.