Aim of SAFEMAPS

Medicinal and aromatic plant-based food supplements are gaining in popularity as complementary approaches to synthetic pharmaceuticals, but they fall under more permissive food regulations. The efficacy and safety of using these products are affected by the variable phytochemical composition, adulteration, substitution, and biological and chemical contamination. The SAFEMAPS project proposes integrated analytical solutions to improve the compliance and quality of food supplements obtained from aromatic and medicinal plants, in order to increase the level of safety in use by consumers, and the sustainable exploitation of biodiversity. Within the project, an experimental model will be developed for the evaluation of the identity, authenticity, traceability, and quality of herbal dietary supplements, consisting of analytical solutions that integrate phytochemistry analysis with molecular genetic analyses. The proposed solutions will be oriented towards the needs of the food supplements industry, especially those related to ensuring the quality and compliance of medicinal and aromatic plant-based products sold in Romania and within the common European market, and several parts of the supply chain will be addressed, from growers or collectors of medicinal and aromatic plant species, processors and importers, to the final consumer.