INS Farms now has results of what it said is the first-ever polyphenol fingerprint testing of the Black Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) cultivated in the U.S., which was performed by Christian Krueger and his team at Complete Phytochemical Solutions.
 
Devon Bennett, CEO of INS Farms, a vertical elderberry ingredient supplier, related that until now, “nobody really knew what was inside this particular berry. The ambiguity in not knowing what exactly constitutes the starting material, we believe, prohibits trustworthy results of human clinical trials.”
 
He added that understanding the phytochemical profile of the American grown Black Elderberry allows for the ability to deconstruct and isolate individual components to create a standardized starting material for health impact studies. “Revealing the thumbprint of the Black Elderberry grown in the USA is crucial because we cannot do any reasonable studies with any accuracy or repeatability,” he emphasized.
 
Additionally, Bennett noted, knowing the constituent profile also can dramatically reduce incidents of adulteration by spotting questionable material at the onset, prior to manufacturing.
 
Krueger said, “We compared the polyphenol fingerprint of American-grown Elderberry to its cousin, European-grown Elderberry and found that they were remarkably similar with the exception of a few biomarkers that differentiates the two berries.”
 
Bennett and Krueger believe it is imperative to quantify starting material (in this case, American grown elderberry) prior to performing any in vitro or human clinical trials. “By understanding the fundamental structure of American Elderberry, we can then develop truthful structure/function claims in various health areas,” Krueger said. “Our focus moving forward is innovation, research and science to take Elderberry beyond cough and cold.”
 
Bennett asserted, “We have learned that there is little to no difference of quality or potency of anthocyanins in current European Elderberry over American Elderberry. We now have discovered quality elderberry in our own backyard which is great for consumers in North America.”