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European Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.orgEuropean Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.org
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Adulteration of
European Elder (Sambucus nigra)
Berries and Berry Extracts
By Stefan Gafner, PhDa and Josef Brinckmannb
a American Botanical Council, PO Box 144345, Austin, TX 78714
b Traditional Medicinals, 4515 Ross Road, Sebastopol, CA 95472
Correspondence: email
Citation (JAMA style): Gafner S, Brinckmann J. Adulteration of European elder (Sambucus nigra) berries and
berry extracts. Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin. Austin, TX: ABC-AHP-NCNPR Botanical Adulterants
Prevention Program. 2023.
DOI:10.59520/bapp.bapb/dgms7687
Keywords: Adulteration, Amaranth dye, American elder berry, anthocyanin, black rice, Brilliant Blue FCF,
Daucus carota, European elder berry, Oryza sativa, purple carrot, Sambucus canadensis, Sambucus nigra
Goal: This bulletin aims to provide general information on European elder (Sambucus nigra, syn. S. nigra
subsp. nigra) berry (often spelled “elderberry”)† and berries from other Sambucus species in commerce, such
as American elder (S. canadensis, syn. S. nigra subsp. canadensis), blue elder (S. cerulea, syn. S. nigra subsp.
cerulea), and dwarf elder (S. ebulus), and berry extracts as ingredients in dietary supplements and food products
and summarize the available information on adulteration, mislabeling, counterfeiting, and fraud of elder berry
extract and its products (e.g. capsules, syrups, et al.). It also provides information on trade and market dynamics,
laboratory methods for detecting adulteration, and economic and safety implications for the consumer, health
professional, and industry. It may be used as guidance for quality control personnel, members of the interna-
tional phytomedicine and botanical supplement industries, and the extended natural products community in
general.
European Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.org
European Elder Berry Sambucus nigra. Photo ©2023 Steven Foster Group
† BAPP uses the common names specified in the American Herbal Products Association’s Herbs of Commerce, 2nd edition,1 which are European elder for
S. nigra and American elder for S. canadensis.
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European Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.org
1. General Information
1.1 Common names: The second edition of The
American Herbal Products Association’s Herbs of
Commerce1 includes a number of Sambucus species.
Besides European elder (also known as black elder
or European black elder), Herbs of Commerce lists
southern elder (S. australis), blue elder, Chinese elder
(S. javanica subsp. chinensis, syn. S. chinensis, S.
javanica), dwarf elder, American elder, and William’s
elder (S. williamsii) as materials in commerce.
1.2 Common names for European elder in other
languages2,3
Chinese (Mandarin): Xīyáng jiēgǔ mù (西洋接骨木)
Danish: almindelig hyld
Dutch: gewone vlier
French: sureau noir, grand sureau, sureau d'Europe
German: Schwarzer Holunder, schwarzer Holder
Italian: sambuco, sambuco nero
Japanese: seiyouniwatoko (セイヨウ ニ ワトコ)
Norwegian: svarthyll
Polish: bez czarny
Portuguese: sabugeiro, sabugeiro negro
Russian: buzina chornaya (бузина чёрная)
Spanish: saúco
Swedish: fläder
Turkish: kara mürver, ağaç mürver
1.3 Accepted Latin binomial: Sambucus nigra L.4
1.4 Synonyms: Sambucus graveolens Willd. ex
Schult., Sambucus nigra subsp. nigra, Sambucus nigra
f. pendula Dippel5
1.5 Botanical family: Viburnaceae (formerly Adoxa-
ceae)6
1.6 Taxonomic considerations: The genus Sambu-
cus is taxonomically challenging, in part due to the
high phenotypic diversity. Therefore, species delin-
eation based on morphological traits is a matter of
debate among botanists. Relevant taxonomic treat-
ments include the publications by von Schwerin
in 1920,7 who recognized 28 different Sambucus
species, and the work by Bolli from 1994,8 where many
formerly distinct species were considered subspecies
or synonyms, leaving nine separate Sambucus species.
Of the medicinally important taxa, S. canadensis, S.
cerulea, S. ebulus, and S. nigra were considered as
separate species by von Schwerin, while Bolli treated
S. canadensis, S. cerulea, and S. nigra as subspecies
of the overarching species S. nigra, using the scientific
names S. nigra subsp. canadensis, S. nigra subsp.
cerulea, and S. nigra subsp. nigra. In a review of Bolli’s
work, Applequist9 suggested that there were valid
arguments for recognizing American and European
elder as either species or subspecies, but due to the
morphological similarity of the two, a subspecies
assignment would be preferable. A 2022 review of
the available morphological and genetic data agreed
that S. canadensis and S. nigra were closely related
but accepted genetic differences as an argument to
classify both as distinct species.10 The two species also
have a distinct anthocyanin composition (section 3.2).
Since the relevant taxonomic databases4,5 consulted
for this Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin all
list S. canadensis, S. cerulea, and S. nigra as separate
species, these three taxa will be distinguished at the
species level rather than the subspecies level through-
out this document. While the genus Sambucus had
formerly been assigned to the families Caprifoliaceae
and, subsequently, Adoxaceae, intensive revision work
of recent years, including genetic analysis, now favors
its assignment to the family Viburnaceae, which is
used in this article.10
1.7 Botanical description and distribution: Euro-
pean elder is a deciduous shrub or a small tree usually
3–7 m, but sometimes up to 10 m in height. The
bark is brownish-grey; branches are easily broken
and show a characteristic white, porous pith. The
leaves are pinnate (very rarely to bipinnate) with 5–7
ovate, ovate–lanceolate or ovate–elliptic leaflets, the
margins often coarsely serrate. The inflorescence is
a flat-topped compound corymb (a branched inflo-
rescence in which pedicels and rachis segments vary
in length so flowers are borne at approximately the
same height), 10–20 cm in diameter. Flowers have five
sepals, five petals, and five anthers and are ca. 4–5
mm in diameter (occasionally larger), cream-white, and
fragrant. The fruit is a drupe, 4–8 mm, globose, black,
containing 3–5 compressed pyrenes (seeds with hard
endocarp).11,12
The genus Sambucus is distributed in many parts of
the world; exceptions are extremely cold areas and
deserts. Sambucus nigra grows in parts of Europe,
from Portugal in the west to Eastern Ukraine, Russia,
and the Caucasian states in the east, and from South-
ern Greece to Scotland and the southern tips of
Sweden and Norway in the north. Isolated populations
3 2
European Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.orgEuropean Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.org
have also been reported in Northern Africa, Syria, Iraq,
and Iran.11 Sambucus canadensis is native to eastern
North America but can be found growing as far west
as Manitoba in Canada and Minnesota in the United
States, and from Florida north to the 49° parallel in
the Gaspé peninsula of Quebec.13 Sambucus cerulea
occurs from west Texas north to Montana, western
Alberta, and southern British Columbia, all other west-
ern states, and south into northwest Mexico.14 Sambu-
cus ebulus is native to Europe and is found in most of
Europe except central and northern Scandinavia. It
grows in countries in Northern Africa and Southwest
Asia, as far east as Turkmenistan.15,16 The distribution
of elder species growing in Asia is complicated due
to divergent species delineation depending on the
author. Sambucus williamsii is treated by Bolli as a
synonym of what he considers a morphologically vari-
able circumboreal species S. racemosa.8 Kew accepts
S. williamsii as a separate species with a growing range
in eastern Asia from northern Siberia south to the
Chinese province of Guangdong, and east to Japan.17
For S. javanica subsp. chinensis, the Kew database lists
the geographic distribution as Pakistan and Afghani-
stan, then further east from Nepal and Tibet all the
way to Korea and Japan to the North and Thailand and
Vietnam to the South.18
1.8 Plant part and form: While both the flowers and
the fruits of the European elder tree are used as food
and medicine, the reports on adulteration exclusively
have investigated the authenticity of bulk elder berry
extracts or finished elder berry dietary supplements.
Elder berry is available as powdered dried fruit,
powdered fruit juice, or extracts using water or alco-
hol as a solvent. Additionally, fruit juice or fruit juice
concentrates are offered on the market.19
The most common elder berry dietary supplement
formulations in the United States are capsules,
gummies, and lozenges, as well as dried juice concen-
trate in herbal tea bag supplements. Liquid forms such
as fluidextracts, glycerites, and syrups also are avail-
able. In some countries of Europe, liquid formulations
(juices, syrups) and so-called “hot drinks” (powders
Nigella Nigella sativa. Photo ©2022 Steven Foster
European Elder Flower Sambucus nigra
Photo ©2023 Stefan Gafner
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European Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.org
that can be dissolved in hot water and taken as a
beverage) are prevalent and more commonly found
than capsules or gummies.
1.9 General use[s]: The flowers and the berries of
the European elder and dwarf elder have been used
traditionally as a laxative and diuretic medicine and to
increase sweating to help alleviate symptoms of upper
respiratory infections.16,19-22 In North America, similar
traditional uses have been recorded for the leaves,
bark, and flowers of American elder and blue elder,
whereas the berries were predominantly used for
food.23 The use as laxative and diuretic is rare nowa-
days, but European elder berry, the dominant species
in the dietary supplement market, has become very
popular as a remedy to prevent or alleviate symptoms
of respiratory infections such as the common cold,
influenza, bronchitis, and cough.24
2. Market
2.1 Importance in the trade: Elder berry products
have a long history of use as a traditional herbal
remedy in Europe and North America, although up
to the 1990s, production was generally restricted to
local businesses that prepared the juice or syrup on
a small scale. While commercial elder berry prepara-
tions are still not among the top-selling herbal food
supplements in Europe, elder berry supplements
claimed the top spot in US herbal dietary supplement
sales in the Mainstream Multioutlet Channel (MULO;
mass market) in 2020 and 2021. In the Natural Chan-
nel, elder berry supplements ranked at number 2 in
2020 and number 3 in 2021.25,26 While sales have
seen consistent growth since 2012, especially in the
mass market (Figure 1), the unexpected demand for
elder berry dietary supplements after the outbreak of
the COVID-19 pandemic has led to exceptionally high
year-to-year sales increases in both channels (Figures
1 and 2). However, the most recent data from 2022
report a 10% decline overall in both,
the mainstream and natural retail
channels.27
2.2 Supply sources: Historically, the
major suppliers of European elder
berries and flowers have been coun-
tries in central Europe. According to
Thomas and Gold,37 an estimated
107,000,000 kg of European elder
berries are harvested annually, 95%
of which is obtained from Austria,
Italy, Czechia, Poland, and Hungary.
An estimated 95% of elder berries
consumed in the United States are
imported,37 with most of the certi-
fied organic wild elder berries origi-
nating from Albania, Bulgaria, Croa-
tia, and/or Poland and cultivated
elder berries from Austria which are
processed in Italy (J. Brinckmann
[Traditional Medicinals] email to
S. Gafner, May 7, 2023). A signifi-
cant amount of the commercial
supply continues to be obtained
through harvesting of berries from
wild populations, mainly in Albania,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria,
Croatia, Czechia, Hungary, Kosovo,
Montenegro, Poland, Romania, and
Ukraine, among other European
countries.38-48 Table 1 provides esti-
Figure 2. Retail sales data for elder berry dietary supplements in the US Natural
Channel from 2011 to 202125,26,28-36
Figure 1. Retail sales data for elder berry dietary supplements in the US Main-
stream Multi-Outlet Channel (MULO) from 2011 to 202125,26,28-36
Mass Market (MULO)
Natural Channel
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European Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.orgEuropean Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.org
mates of annual harvest quanti-
ties for countries where data are
available, qualified by the year of
the estimate. The actual annual
production quantity for Europe
would be higher if data for all
countries were included.
Currently, commercial cultiva-
tion of European elder berry
occurs predominantly in Austria,
Denmark, Germany, and Hungary,
but also France, Ireland, Italy,
Poland, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.52 The
state of Styria in southern Austria reportedly accounts
for 84% of Austria’s total production and about 25% of
all European production of cultivated European elder
berries, making it the second most important fruit crop
of Austria, after the apple (Malus spp., Rosaceae). Of
the Styrian production, at least 5000 metric tons of
elder berry fruits are processed annually into extracts
by one of the largest elder berry extract suppliers (S.
Plattner [Iprona AG], email to S. Gafner, May 12, 2023).
European elder berry cultivation has also been intro-
duced outside of its native habitat in parts of Africa
(e.g., South Africa), South America (e.g., Chile), and
Oceania (e.g., New Zealand), among other regions.52
Table 2 provides estimates of annual quantities of
cultivated European elder berry by country where data
is available.
In the United States, the main species grown is S.
canadensis, with nearly half of all production concen-
trated in Missouri.58 The information from Volza,59 a
global trade database, lists China, Spain, Germany,
Italy, and Denmark as the main elder berry extract
exporting countries based on the number of ship-
ments. This also includes shipments of elder berry
extract in combination with other botanicals. The top
importing countries are the United States, Indonesia,
Vietnam, India, and Turkey, which suggests that coun-
tries like China and Spain may be
either processing large amounts
of elder berries or may serve as
intermediaries for export into the
rest of the world.
2.3 Market dynamics: As shown
in Figures 1 and 2, elder berry
dietary supplement retail sales
have dramatically increased in the
United States between 2019 and
2020, followed by a slight decline
in 2021 and 2022. Increases in
elder berry sales have also been
reported in some European coun-
tries, e.g., Italy and Spain, although not at such an
extraordinary level as in the United States. The ensu-
ing supply and demand pushed the prices upward,
reaching between $100-300/kg for extracts standard-
ized in anthocyanins in 2023 (L. Gallo [Artemis Inter-
national], email to S. Gafner, March 31, 2023). This
surge in demand also likely increased the prevalence
of adulterated products on the market, specifically
“elder berry” extracts adulterated with black rice
(Oryza sativa, Poaceae) extract, which sold for as little
as $10-15/kg.19 At the same time, overall elder berry
dietary supplement sales have decreased from 2020
to 2022, relieving some of the pressure on the supply
chain. According to industry experts, this may have
led to a situation where some of the “opportunistic
adulterators have moved on to other trendy ingredi-
ents.”27
3. Adulteration
3.1 Known adulterants: Elder berry adulteration
has been investigated only recently. The adulterated
ingredients are generally extracts that are labeled
to contain elder berry but are diluted or substituted
with extracts from lower-cost anthocyanin-rich plants,
most notably black rice.19,60,61 Additionally, rare occur-
rences of adulteration with purple carrot (Daucus
carota, Apiaceae) extract, rutin-rich extracts, antho-
cyanin extracts from unknown sources, or undeclared
Table 1. Estimated annual quantity of wild harvested European elder berries
from selected countries
Country Annual estimate (kgs) Year of estimate
Bulgaria 33,152 5 year (2001 – 2005) annual average40
Czechia 2,080,000 202149
Hungary 16,000,000 200943
Poland 1,802,000 202150
Ukraine 7,500,000 202051
Table 2. Estimated annual production of cultivated European elder berries from
selected countries
Country
Annual estimate (kgs)
Year of estimate
Austria 6,034,000 4-year (2019-2022) annual average53
Denmarka207,100 202154
Germany 902,000 202255
Hungary 15,940,000 5-year (2017-2021) annual average56
Portugal 3,500,000 200857
aDenmark Statistics quantifies the annual production of European elder berries and rowanber-
ries (Sorbus acuparia, Rosaceae) together under the ‘other berries’ heading. Thus, the 207,100 kg
includes an unknown quantity of rowanberries.
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European Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.org
food dyes (Brilliant Blue FCF and
Amaranth) have been described60
(J. Kababick [Flora Research Labo-
ratories, LLC] email so S. Gafner,
March 21, 2023). Chemical profiles
of several of the failing products
displayed in a report by Hänni et
al. (Muttenz, Switzerland) show high
performance thin-layer chromatog-
raphy (HPTLC) plates with no or
only faint zones close to the appli-
cation line, or only dark brown or
black zones, likely due to sugars.61
These products are either highly
diluted (such as dry juices which
tend to have large amounts of added
carriers), processed in a way that
removes or degrades the phenolic
compounds (especially the anthocy-
anins), or solely composed of excipi-
ents. Confusion among elder berries
from different Sambucus species has
been reported as well (section 3.4)
but appears to be infrequent.
3.2 Chemistry of Sambucus nigra
and potential markers for adul-
teration: The best-studied constitu-
ents in elder berries are anthocya-
nins, flavonoids, caffeoylquinic acid
derivatives, and organic acids. Of
particular interest for authentica-
tion are the anthocyanins. The most
commonly used European elder
cultivars contain cyanidin-3-O-glu-
coside and cyanidin-3-O-sambu-
bioside as the quantitatively most
important anthocyanins, followed
by cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside-5-O-glucoside and, to
a lesser extent, cyanidin-3,5-O-diglucoside. Addi-
tional anthocyanins detected at trace levels include
cyanidin-3-O-rutinoside, pelargonidin-3-O-glucoside,
and pelargonidin-3-O-sambubioside.62-65 Peonidin-
3-O-glucoside, peonidin-3-O-sambubioside, and
peonidin-3-O-rutinoside have been identified at low
concentrations by two research groups in European
elder berries collected in the wild.66,67
The presence of peonidin-3-O-glucoside is of impor-
tance since it is considered to be a marker compound
to detect adulteration with black rice extract.19,60
Cyanidin-3-O-glucoside (51-91% of total anthocya-
nins) and peonidin-3-O-glucoside (6-14% of total
anthocyanins) are the most prominent anthocyanins
in black rice.68-70 Since most of the commercial elder
berry products are made from cultivated materials
that appear to be devoid of peonidin glycosides, it
is reasonable to use peonidin-3-O-glucoside (despite
its presence in trace amounts in some reports using
authentic elder berries) as a marker constituent to
detect undeclared black rice extracts.
American elder and Williams elder berries can be
distinguished from European elder berries by the
presence of acylated cyanidin glycosides, most promi-
nently cyanidin-3-O-[6-O-(E)-p-coumaroyl]sambubio-
side-5-O-glucoside, which is the major anthocyanin in
these species.60,63,71 Both the blue elder and dwarf
elder berries have an anthocyanin composition that is
quite similar to European elder berries, although both
species have a unique anthocyanin to which the struc-
ture of cyanidin-3-O-xylogalactoside was tentatively
European Elder Berry Sambucus nigra
Photo ©2023 Steven Foster Group
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European Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.orgEuropean Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.org
assigned by Avula et al. Some authors reported that
blue and dwarf elder berries lack cyanidin-3-O-sam-
bubioside-5-O-glucoside and cyanidin-3,5-O-diglu-
coside.60,72 This needs to be confirmed in additional
studies.
Dwarf elder and blue elder contain small amounts
of hyperoside (quercetin 3-O-galactoside) and isor-
hamnetin 3-O-rutinoside, which may be used as an
additional criterion to distinguish these species from S.
nigra and S. canadensis.60,73 The contents of organic
acids appear to be similar enough that these acids
cannot be used for species identification.
3.3 Sources of information supporting adulteration:
The earliest published evidence of elder berry extract
adulteration can be found in a 2016 PhD thesis in
which 30 commercial elder berry products (14 syrups,
five tinctures, three juice concentrates, three capsules,
four lozenges, and one bulk powder) sourced in the
United States were thoroughly characterized using
high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with
UV/Vis detection (anthocyanins and benzoic acid),
HPLC with a refractive index detector (sugars), and
ion chromatography (organic acids). Total proantho-
cyanidin content was determined using the 4-dimeth-
ylaminocinnamaldehyde (DMAC) assay. Of these 30
products, nine (30%) are considered by the primary
author of this bulletin (SG) to be adulterated based on
the presence of peonidin, peonidin-3-O-glycosides,
unusually high amounts of cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, or
absence of the main characteristic elder berry antho-
cyanins.74 Another case of adulteration stems from
a research paper in which the anthocyanin profile of
a commercial extract labeled to contain S. williamsii
was investigated for anti-inflammatory, antioxidant,
and cytotoxic effects. Based on the data provided
and unbeknownst to the study authors, the studied
material’s profile is consistent with that of a black rice
extract,75 demonstrating that a potential adulterant of
S. nigra may itself be adulterated. Additional informa-
tion on elder berry adulteration has been detailed in
five investigations into the quality and authenticity of
commercial elder berry dietary supplements published
between 2021–2022 (section 3.5). All these investiga-
tions have concluded that adulteration of elder berry
is a problem in commerce and that the most common
form of adulteration is partial or entire substitution with
extracts from black rice.19,60,61,76,77 In addition, some
of the bulk extracts and finished dietary supplement
products have an entirely different chemical fingerprint
devoid of anthocyanins, flavonoids, or caffeoylquinic
acids.61 While the lack of anthocyanins, which tend
to be readily hydrolyzed and oxidized when exposed
to heat or when present in liquids without adequate
oxidative protection, may be explained in some
cases by inappropriate manufacturing processes, the
absence of flavonoids and caffeoylquinic acids point
to an excessive dilution or substitution with a lower-
cost ingredient.
3.4 Accidental or intentional adulteration: The main
adulteration issue is the dilution or substitution of
elder berry extracts with low-cost extracts from other
anthocyanin-rich plant parts, especially black rice. The
origin of such adulteration is clearly intentional as the
suppliers’ motivation is of a financial nature. Manufac-
turers may unknowingly procure adulterated extracts
when basing their acceptance criteria on insufficient
testing (e.g., using UV/Vis spectrometry for anthocy-
anin content as the sole method of identification).
While there is permissible interchangeable use of
certain elder species in many regions of the world,
the available data on the quality of commercial elder
berry products does not support that species confu-
sion or unintentional mixture of several elder species is
a big issue in commerce. This may be in part because
commercial elder berries are mostly obtained from
cultivated shrubs or trees; hence, there is low risk
of accidental misidentification. One instance of a
company purchasing unintentionally mislabeled plant
material for an elder tree plantation has been reported
(MJ Monagas [USP] email to S. Gafner, March 20,
2023). Another reported case involved a shipment of
elder berries sent to an extraction company. While the
initial test sample provided by a Bulgarian supplier
was authentic European elder, the subsequent order
of two metric tons turned out to be dwarf elder, which
— after extraction — was eventually destroyed at the
cost of the buyer (SF Aydoğan [University of Missis-
sippi] email to S. Gafner, May 1, 2023). Generally, such
problems with elder species confusion appear to be
unusual. However, some elder berry extracts sold in
bulk are labeled as Williams elder, S. williamsii. To our
knowledge, this species is not cultivated in its growing
area of China, Japan, Korea, and eastern Russia and
is not used for producing elder berry extracts. Hence,
extracts claiming to be made with S. williamsii are at a
high risk of being adulterated.
3.5 Frequency of occurrence: Information from
several publications (Table 3) indicates that adultera-
tion is a recent issue but that the extent of it is fairly
large. The 49 samples analyzed by Avula et al.60 and
Crawford et al.77 were obtained in the United States,
analyzed using the same ultrahigh-performance liquid
chromatography method with ultraviolet/visible detec-
tion (UPLC-UV/Vis). All these products are available on
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European Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.org
Amazon.com. In addition, all 16 elder berry dietary
supplements analyzed by HPTLC chromatography by
Hänni et al.61 were from the United States. Of these
16 products, six failed the HPTLC identification criteria
for European elder berry. Güzelmeriç et al.76 sourced
their products from local pharmacies in Turkey. These
authors used a combination of HPTLC and HPLC-
UV/Vis to analyze the products. In all investigations,
botanically authenticated European elder berry was
used as a control.
There are several limitations to the interpretation
of data in Table 3. Some studies involved multiple
batches or products from the same vendor, which may
skew the results. Product names and manufacturers
are unknown; hence, their importance in the trade
with regard to sales volume cannot be assessed. In
addition, with the exception of the studies by Galetti74
and Güzelmeriç et al.,76 adulteration was assessed by
different authors using different analytical methods;
hence, the conclusions may be different. The table
considers 532 samples from the review by Gafner et
al.19 Of these, 472 samples were analyzed by estab-
lished contract analytical laboratories, which, accord-
ing to one source (E. Sudberg [Alkemist Labs] email to
S. Gafner, April 14, 2023), mainly test ingredients and
products by responsible industry members, for which,
based on historical evidence/data, the likelihood of
adulteration is expected to be low. Omitting these 472
samples, of which 34 (7.2%) were listed as adulterated,
would raise the overall adulteration rate (76 samples
out of 222) to 34.2%. The remaining 60 samples in the
publication by Gafner et al.,19 of which 24 (40%) were
found to be adulterated, were provided by suppliers
and manufacturers of elder berry extract. This indi-
cates that data can vary substantially depending on
the source. Accordingly, one cannot draw definitive
conclusions about the extent of adulteration of elder
berry materials and products from these reports.
3.6 Possible safety/therapeutic issues: The main
adulterating materials, i.e., extracts of black rice and
other anthocyanin-rich plants, are considered safe and
do not pose a risk to public health. However, there is
no evidence of a therapeutic benefit with regard to
upper respiratory infections for black rice or purple
carrot extracts. Therefore, people using adulterated
elder berry supplements may not receive the expected
health benefits attributed to elder berry.
However, the presence of undeclared food dyes in
“elder berry” extracts is considered a health risk.
Amaranth dye has been banned as a food colorant
in the United States due to concerns about carcino-
genicity based mainly on data from two controversial
studies in rats.78,79 The use of amaranth dye is still
permitted in Europe, but the acceptable daily intake
(ADI) has been limited by the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) to 0.15 mg/kg per day.80 Brilliant
blue FCF is accepted as a food colorant in both North
America and Europe. It is considered relatively non-
toxic. The European Union has established limits for
Brilliant Blue in foods (20–500 mg/kg depending on
the type of food), and an ADI of 6 mg/kg per day.81
A hypothetical safety concern is the presence of
higher concentrations of cyanogenic glycosides in
materials exceeding permissible limits for foreign
organic matter, i.e., substantial amounts of elder seed,
stem, leaf, or unripe (green) berries. While cyano-
genic glycosides, especially sambunigrin, occur in
all plant parts of the European elder, they are more
concentrated in the leaves than in the flowers, with
the berries having the lowest content.82 However, case
reports of patients experiencing nausea, vomiting, or
other symptoms of cyanide toxicity are rare.83 Several
sources84,85 report that 11 people fell ill after consum-
ing up to five glasses of a cocktail made of fresh
raw elder berries, leaves, and branches, which was
associated with hydrogen cyanide (which is released
after hydrolysis of cyanogenic glycosides) poisoning.
Table 3: Adulteration rates for elder berry bulk extracts and dietary supplements according to the available reports
Author(s) Number of samples
evaluated
Number of adulterated/
failing samples
Percent of adulterated/
failing samples
Galetti 201674 30 9 30.0%
Gafner et al. 202119 532 58 10.9%
Güzelmeriç et al., 202176 11 9 81.8%
Camag report 202161 73 19 26.0%
Avula et al., 202260 31 21 67.7%
Crawford et al., 202277 18 4 22.2%
Total 694 119 17.1%
9 8
European Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.orgEuropean Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.org
The beverage consumed reportedly was made with
parts from Mexican elder (S. mexicana); hence the
information from this incidence may not be applicable
to European elder berry. Additionally, it is known
that crushing the berries before use, heat treatment,
and other processing steps reduce the cyanogenic
glycosides content.86-88 According to information from
a major elder ingredient source in Europe (S. Plattner
[Iprona AG], email to S. Gafner, April 6, 2023), elder
berry ingredients from reputable suppliers are free
of cyanogenic glycosides and are regularly tested by
chemical analysis for absence of these compounds.
Therefore, even with the potential presence of some
elder leaves and stems, appropriately processed elder
berry products are not considered a health risk.87,88
3.7 Analytical methods to detect adulteration:
Information about macroanatomic and microanatomic
characteristics to distinguish among berries from vari-
ous Sambucus species is lacking, with the exception
of an assessment of the seed characteristics published
by Jacobs et al.89 These authors described the seed
and pyrene (the pit or stone of the berry) dimensions
of several Sambucus species, including S. canadensis,
S. cerulea, S. ebulus, S. nigra, and S. racemosa. The
seeds of S. nigra were larger (average length of 3.2
mm) than those of the other four species (average
length 2.5–2.8 mm), but it is not clear if the small
sample size used by the authors allows a generaliza-
tion of these findings.
Methods to characterize European elder berries and
elder berry extracts using chemical analysis have been
published by various authors,60,63,72,73 and by the
United States Pharmacopeia (USP) in their monograph
European elder berry dry extract.90 USP also plans to
publish monographs on European elder berry aque-
ous dry extract, European elder berry dry juice, and
European elder berry powder. (MJ Monagas [USP]
email to S. Gafner, March 22, 2023) Most commonly,
the HPLC-UV/Vis fingerprints of anthocyanins and
phenolic constituents (flavonoids, caffeoylquinic acid
derivatives) are used to distinguish among the species.
Often, methods for anthocyanin analysis use a C18
Dried European Elder Flower Sambucus nigra
Photo ©2023 Steven Foster Group
10
European Elder (Sambucus nigra) Berries and Berry Extracts - Botanical Adulterants Prevention Bulletin • June 2023 • www.botanicaladulterants.org
stationary phase and an acidic mobile phase running
in gradient mode. Detection is commonly done in the
visible range between 490-520 nm,64,90-92 although
mass spectrometric detection is also available.60,72,93
As mentioned in section 3.2, the anthocyanin and
flavonoid fingerprints are suitable to differentiate S.
nigra from S. canadensis, S. cerulea, and S. ebulus.94
USP also proposes specifications for a content ratio
of 0.7–1.7 between cyanidin-3-O-sambubioside and
cyanidin-3-O-glucoside in the next version of the USP
European elder berry dry extract monograph as an
additional means to differentiate European elder berry
extracts from its adulterants (MJ Monagas [USP] email
to S. Gafner, March 22, 2023). Clear distinction criteria
to differentiate among Sambucus spp. berries using
HPTLC are provided by Hänni et al.61 This HPTLC
method uses the same conditions as the USP mono-
graph European elder berry dry extract.90 The use of
simple UV/Vis spectrophotometry is not fit-for-purpose
for authentication. For example, the pH differential
method described by Giusti and Wrolstad95 is easily
deceived using non-elder berry-derived anthocyanin
extracts. Conversely, UV/Vis methods may be appli-
cable for ensuring consistency of the anthocyanin
content if the identity of the material has been firmly
established by suitable analytical methods.
A distinction among species when whole, cut, or
powdered elder berries are present can also be
achieved using DNA-based methods. Eriksson and
Donoghue96 published the internal transcribed spacer
(ITS) sequences of 18 Sambucus species, including S.
canadensis, S. cerulea, S. ebulus, S. racemosa, and S.
nigra. The sequences allowed for a clear separation of
the various species. Among the limitations of genetic
methods are its inability to distinguish among plant
parts, e.g., the elder flower from the berry, and the
challenges in finding DNA that is of suitable length
and integrity for species identification when highly
processed materials such as extracts are used (DNA is
known to degrade when exposed to high heat).
4. Conclusions
Dietary supplements and food products containing
elder berry extracts and juices have become very
popular over the past decade, especially in the USA.
At the same time, adulteration reports of elder berry
materials and products have increased, pointing to a
substantial portion of the elder berry dietary supple-
ment market being adulterated. Based on the avail-
able information, confusion among the various elder
species, e.g., European elder with American elder,
does not appear to be a widespread problem. Full or
partial substitution of elder berry extract with black
rice or other anthocyanin-rich extracts is more likely.
Additionally, there are products on the market that are
adulterated with synthetic dyes or do not contain any
elder berry phenolics but for which the identity of the
adulterant is still unknown.
There are several analytical methods that can help
to authenticate elder berry materials and detect
their adulteration, particularly HPLC-UV/Vis or HPTLC
fingerprints. Companies producing elder berry extracts
or manufacturing elder berry dietary or food supple-
ments or other food products using elder berry
extracts should be aware of these issues and ensure
a robust quality control system to avoid purchasing
adulterated materials.
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Revision summary
Version # , Author, Date Revised Section Revised List of Changes
Version 1, S. Gafner, J. Brinckmann N/A N/A None
