• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.65-83
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• 2008

It is noted that illegal hazardous foods containing unauthorized drugs or synthetic drung analogues are increasing. Especially, reported are unknown compounds that have the modified chemical structures of the anti-impotence drugs such as sildenafil, vardenafil, and tatalafil. In addition, it is very reserved, since illegal synthetic compounds having similar chemical structures modified from anti-impotence drug to avoid the government inspection are not proved their safety at all. This review in ulation to food safety, lists the illegal compounds added to foods and describes about the analytical methods to chanacterize 16 anti-impotence drug analogues such as homosildenafil, hongdenafil, pseudovardenafil, aminotadalafil, hydroxyhomosildenafil, hydroxyhongdenafil, dimethylsildenafil, xanthoanthrafil, hydroxyvardenafil, norneosildenafil, demethylhongdenafil, piperidinohongdenafil, carbodenafil, thiosildenafil, dimethylthiosildenafil, and acetylvardenafil.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.405-412
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• 2016

Illegally adulterated compounds, such as impotency drugs and their synthetic analogues, which have been purported to enhance sexual potency or mood, have been constantly detected in foods including dietary supplements. The adulterated foods with these illegal compounds may threaten public health because their safety and efficacy have not been verified. This study was aimed at investigating illegal compounds in foods and counterfeit products. 54 illegal compounds were assayed using a simultaneous analytical method involving liquid chromatography equipped with photo diode array (LC-PDA) and LC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). The method was validated in terms of selectivity, linearity, limit of detection (LOD), limit of quantification (LOQ), precision and accuracy. In 48 of 161 samples, we identified 7 different illegal compounds, including sildenafil, tadalafil, chlropretadalafil, demethylsildenafil, dimethyl-thiosildenafil, icariin and yohimbine. When purchasing products marketed for erectile dysfunction or aphrodisiacs, ulmost care should be taken owing to the possible presence of these illegal compounds.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.424-429
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• 2016

Globally, obesity has been recognized as a serious health problem. Recently, slimming foods for weight loss and maintenance were found to contain anti-obesity drugs, their analogues, and prohibited ingredients. To avoid inspections by the Government, structurally modified analogs have been continuously synthesized. For rapid determination of adulterated slimming products, we simultaneously analyzed 21 illegal compounds using liquid chromatography (LC) equipped with photo diode array, and LC coupled with tandem mass spectrometry. The validation of the method was performed with regard to selectivity, linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, precision, and accuracy. We purchased 128 samples from the Korean market and online sources in the year 2015. In 31 samples, 3 illegal compounds were detected as follows: 9.9-135.3 mg/g of sibutramine, 0.2-17.5 mg/g of yohimbine, and 1.8 mg/g of icariin. This simultaneous detection method might prove to be a simple and rapid analysis for monitoring illegal compounds in slimming foods.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.78-83
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• 2007

To perform proficiency test for determining anti-impotence drug-like compounds in food, interlaboratory test has been done. Targets were 6 such as sildenafil, tadalafil, vardenafil, homosildenafil, hydroxy-homosildenafil and pseudo-vardenafilI. Total 13 institutes were participated and all is in charging of food analysis. To do double blind test, the reference materials were made as 13 different ginseng drink samples and each sample had random 3 targets. By the official method for anti-impotence drug-like compounds in food code, sample was just diluted in water, extracted in organic solvents, determined by HPLC/UV and then confirmed by LC/MS. The analytical duration was 60 days after receiving sample. Ten out of 13 institutes were satisfied by evaluation of Z-score and RSZ according to the regulation for managing analytical quality assurance.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.24-34
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• 2019

The safety of food is occasionally questionable, as there have been some reports of products contaminated with illegal adulterants. In this study, the presence of 16 sedative-hypnotics and sleep inducers in dietary supplements was determined by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection (UPLC-UV) and quadruple Orbitrap mass spectrometry (Q-Orbitrap-MS). The UPLC method was validated, providing a linearity (R2) of more than 0.999, and LODs and LOQs that ranged from 0.2 to 0.5 and 0.6 to $1.5{\mu}g\;mL^{-1}$, respectively. The repeatabilities were 0.2-8.4 % (intra-day) and 0.3-4.5 % (inter-day), and the accuracies were 89.0-117.0 % (intra-day) and 87.8-111.9 % (inter-day). The mean recoveries of the spiked samples ranged from 98.7 to 107.3 %. The relative standard deviation (%RSD) of the stability was less than 2.4 %. Using the developed method, one sedative-hypnotic compound, phenobarbital, was detected in one of the nineteen samples tested. In addition, the major characteristic fragment ions of each target compound were confirmed using Q-Orbitrap-MS for higher accuracy. Monitoring the presence of these 16 sedative-hypnotics and sleep inducers in dietary supplements should be pursued in the interest of human health, and the results of this study confirmed that the developed method has value for this application.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2015

This study was performed for both evaluating the safety of other processed products and providing basic information for making the general standard for contaminants in the category of other processed products. We analyzed the contents of three heavy metals, thirty six anti-impotence drugs and their analogues, three anti-obesity drugs and their analogues, twenty eight steroid drugs and their analogues, collecting in Incheon Metropolitan City. Any illegal compound was not detected in those products. However the contents of lead, cadmium and mercury of those products were at the range of 0.001-13.390 mg/kg, 0.03-1.231 mg/kg and 0.001-0.650 mg/kg respectively. Because there are no standards of heavy metals against other processed products, we compared the analytical results with relevant standards of both S. Korea and foreign countries. As a result, two products exceeded the relevant standards of lead, and other two products exceeded the relevant standards of mercury. The relative hazards compared to PTWI of FAO/WHO (Codex), Seafoods-pajeonmix, Perilla seed powder exceeded PTWI standards 0.214. The compulsory standards of each food product are determined by the category of the products. Because there is no standard of heavy metals in the category of other processed products in S. Korea, any food products registered as other processed product by manufacturer are free with those standards. Abusing similar problems on the categorization of food products could cause consumers' health problem. To prevent these problems, detail regulations on the categorization of food products have to be introduced.