이선향 (서강대학교)

오한빈 (서강대학교)

이선향 (서강대학교)

오한빈 (서강대학교)

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) extract is a widely used ingredient in dietary supplements for prostate health. However, adulteration has been reported, including blending low-cost vegetable oils (e.g., coconut or palm) to mimic key marker components. This study evaluated the authenticity of five saw palmetto extract supplements through quantitative profiling of phytosterols and long-chain fatty alcohols. Target components were extracted via alkaline saponification and derivatized for gas chromatography- flame ionization detector (GC-FID) analysis. Composition profiles were compared with United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and European Pharmacopeia standards. Results revealed that none of the samples met USP-specified thresholds for total phytosterols (≥0.2%) and β-sitosterol (≥0.1%), with measured values of  0.031–0.138% and 0.0023–0.0323%. Conversely, fatty alcohol content was elevated (0.95–2.27%), exceeding the USP upper limit (0.35%) by up to fivefold. These findings may reflect variation from analyzing finished products rather than pure extract. Unlike USP and EP standards, the Korean pharmacopeia lacks quantitative standards for phytosterols and fatty alcohols, creating a blind spot allowing low-quality products to enter the market. Multi-marker profiling may serve as an effective authentication strategy. This approach provides a scientific foundation for developing quality control measures and regulatory standards to ensure authenticity of saw palmetto dietary supplements.
 

*This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education(2018R1A6A1A03024940)

*This research was supported by a grant (24192MFDS052) from Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2025 

​