Comprehensive Investigation Finds
African Mango Seed Powder Adulterated with Goji Berry
Reviewed: Li J, Pan L, Naman CB, et al. Pyrrole alkaloids with potential
cancer chemopreventive activity isolated from a goji berry-contaminated
commercial sample of African mango. J Agric Food Chem.
2014;62(22):5054-5060.
In a collaboration between Nature’s Sunshine
Products, Inc. (Spanish Fork, UT) and the Ohio State University, a sample of
commercially available purported powdered African mango (Irvingia
gabonensis, Irvingiaceae) seed was submitted to bioactivity-guided
fractionation after an initial screening revealed potent cancer chemopreventive
activity of the chloroform-soluble portion in a quinone-reductase assay. The
purification of the chloroform extract led to the isolation of six alkaloids, 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarbaldehyde, and
p-hydroxybenzoic acid. The presence of
pyrrole alkaloids, which are well known from goji berries (Lycium
chinense, Solanaceae) but have not been found in authentic African
mango seeds, prompted the authors to verify the authenticity of the commercial
African mango sample. By comparing the test sample to authentic African mango
seed (containing methyl gallate, ellagic acid, and their derivatives as main
components) and authentic goji berries using a combination of microscopy,
HPLC-UV, HPLC-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR),
adulteration of the African mango material with goji berry powder was
confirmed. The cancer chemopreventive activity was found to be due to the
presence of the pyrrole alkaloids in the goji berry powder.
Comment: The
occurrence of adulteration in commercial samples of African mango has been
reported previously.1 The sudden rise in popularity of African mango
seed products and lack of appropriate methods for quality control may have
created an opportunity for unscrupulous manufacturers to sell adulterated
products. The new methods developed in a collaboration between industry and
academia are helpful tools to avoid adulteration of African mango materials and
a good example of what responsible industry members can do to address the
problem.
References
1. Sun J, Chen P. Ultra
high-performance liquid chromatography with high-resolution mass spectrometry
analysis of African mango (Irvingia gabonensis) seeds, extract, and related dietary supplements. J Agric Food
Chem.
2012;60(35):8703-8709.
