Microbiology and herbal industry
2000
Khozirah S. | Mastura Mohtar
Microbiology is an important aspect of quality control and plays a very important role in the manufacture of pharmaceuticals and food products. Malaysian consumers are confronted with many choices of herbal products either for cosmetic or health care, and a great many of these products lack scientific studies to validate their claims. Concerns for both their efficacy and quality have been raised in various channels. This increase in awareness has brought about the integration of microbiology and other scientific inputs in the development and manufacture of herbal products. This paper discusses several aspects in herbal product development where microbiology can be of use. Basically, microbiology is applicable at three major stages of production, i.e., product identification, product . formulation and product manufacture. Types of product and related microbes need to be identified and suitable microbiological assays carried out on herbal materials to verify claims. Further antimicrobial evaluation will also need to be repeated during product formulation to ensure that bioactivity is maintained. Finally, microbiology is involved in microbial load during manufacturing, as stipulated by the Good Manufacturing Practices guidelines. A summary of guidelines, techniques and regulatory requirements are also included.
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