Superfood & Co

What is it about?

Plant species are diverse and diverse is their use by humans. In this diversity the identity of a species gets easily lost, a challenge, accentuated by globalisation. When we want to validate the authenticity of plant products, we first need to understand, what species actually are and how they are generated. This is far from trivial in plants. Each week, new plants or plant products are flodding the European market. Whether it is Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ayurveda or Novel Food – the potential for personalised medicine and healing by nutrition is exciting, but also challenging for consumer protection. More than 1000 plants, a strong demand, a high price and a limited supply create ideal conditions for fake and adulteration. We have developted diagnostic methodology, based on genetic barcodes and authenticated living references in the Botanical Garden. Meanwhile, we are working on increasing resolution beyond the species levels. We, therefore, search for ways to watch the birth of new species to develop a new generation of even more precise assays.