Quality evaluation of iron-containing food supplements in the Palestinian market
Abstract Iron is widely used to treat anemia and is prescribed or sold as an over-the-counter drug and food supplement in the local market as well as community pharmacy. The iron supplements available in the Palestinian market were tested for their claimed iron content (% assay) and microbial contam...
| Autores: | , , , , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2021 |
| País: | Brasil |
| Institución: | Sociedade Brasileira de Ciência e Tecnologia de Alimentos (SBCTA) |
| Repositorio: | Food Science and Technology (Campinas) |
| Idioma: | inglés |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:scielo:S0101-20612021000600785 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://old.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0101-20612021000600785 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | iron food supplement quality |
| Sumario: | Abstract Iron is widely used to treat anemia and is prescribed or sold as an over-the-counter drug and food supplement in the local market as well as community pharmacy. The iron supplements available in the Palestinian market were tested for their claimed iron content (% assay) and microbial contamination. Altogether, 18 samples of different pharmaceutical dosage forms were collected from the Palestinian market. These samples represented both local and international markets. The actual iron content in the sample products was determined using potentiometric titration and atomic absorption methods. Moreover, bacterial and fungal contaminations were tested according to international pharmacopeial methods. Results revealed that 72% of the tested samples failed the test, and most of them exceeded the standard limit. The results varied according to source and dosage form. This shows that the iron supplements in the Palestinian markets do not meet the international standard allowable limits. Responsible authorities must take an urgent action. In particular, the Ministry of Health should take corrective actions, such as monitoring the registration and performing regular quality checks on imported and local products. |
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