Dietary Supplement Analytical Methods and Reference Materials Program (AMRM)

Analytical Methods for Dietary Supplements

scientist examining herb leaves Analytical methods program area focuses on the development and validation of analytical methods that can be used to verify dietary ingredient and label content claims, as tools to meet dietary supplement current good manufacturing practice requirements, and to determine the amounts of constituents of dietary supplements. Current method development efforts favor methods for analytes with high potential public health significance.

Method development

The AMRM Program aims to promote analytical method development in prioritized areas to address current knowledge gaps. Funded projects have focused on the development of non-targeted methods for botanical classification and authentication, and targeted methods to identify and quantify adulterants, natural toxins, pesticides and toxic elements.

Method validation

From 2013 to 2018 community-driven method validation activities were coordinated by AOAC International through a stakeholder panel funded through a contract from ODS. Information about the AOAC Stakeholder Panel on Dietary Supplements, including the resulting analytical method publications, is available on the AOAC website.
AOAC International has published guidelines for performing a single laboratory validation study for quantitive chemical methods for dietary supplements and guidelines for the validation of methods to identify botanical dietary supplements in the 2013 edition of the AOAC Official Methods of Analysis, Appendix K: Guidelines for Dietary Supplements and Botanicals .
NIH Administrative Supplement funding awards for single laboratory validation of quantitative analytical methods: In an attempt to leverage basic biomedical research already supported by NIH and to capture and validate new methods when first developed, AMRM makes available competitive administrative supplement funding to certain active NIH awards via PA 18-818 .