HPTLC Online User Meeting, hosted by the HPTLC Association

Promoting the use of HPTLC in plant analysis and other analytical fields is the main purpose of the International Association for the Advancement of High-Performance Thin-Layer Chromatography (HPTLC Association), and for this, bringing together representatives from academia, industry, research, regulatory and standard setting bodies.

This HPTLC Online User Meeting is the first in a series of quarterly events that shall facilitate a worldwide exchange of knowledge between HPTLC users to share in the spirit of working in an exciting analytical field.

The meeting is hosted in partnership with the North America Chapter of the HPTLC Association.

Session 1 – Identification of Elderberry (S. nigra) using HPTLC, HPLC and UV-Vis and Detection of its Adulterants in the World of Dietary Supplements

The European elder (Sambucus nigra) berry has a long-standing use in herbal medicine. With COVID-19 on the rise in 2020, the demand for a natural boost to the immune system brought elderberry to the forefront of dietary supplements and herbal medicines. This increasing demand also saw an increase in adulteration. In this session, Brittany Brodziski, QC Supervisor at Nature’s Way, will describe how her team used an orthogonal approach to confirm the quality of the sourced ingredients and for testing raw materials by HPTLC, HPLC, and UV-Vis. Brodziski will further discuss how competitor products were also tested, with a significant number showing low quality or adulteration.

Session 2 – HPTLC Separation of Tryptamine-based Hallucinogens

TLC has often been used for the analysis of common hallucinogenic tryptamines. However, TLC does not always provide a satisfactory level of sensitivity, resolution, or documentation. In this session, Kelsey Patterson, graduate student at Cedar Crest College, discusses her project evaluating the suitability of HPTLC to determine an optimal separation of 12 hallucinogenic tryptamines. Patterson will discuss how several different mobile phases were investigated and explain how two of the mobile phases tested, when used in conjunction with p-dimethylaminobenzaldehyde derivatization, were able to separate and distinguish all 12 tryptamine compounds.

Session 3 – HPTLC/MS Analysis and screening of Banisteriopsis caapi and Psychotria viridis for the purpose of determining and minimizing variability of the active compounds in the final product, with the intention of predicting and improving the quality and potential efficacy of the Amazonian therapeutic botanical medicine admixture, Ayahuasca

HPTLC/MS analysis and screening of active compounds in Ayahuasca traditional medicine has been carried out with the intention of optimizing its therapeutic variability. In the final session of this event, Dr. Sidney Sudberg, President & CSO at Alkemist Labs, will discuss how the relative concentrations of known active compounds were determined by image evaluation, scanning densitometry, and HPLC, and explore how mass spectrometry was used for accurate substance identification. Additionally, Sudberg will demonstrate how the alkaloid fraction was utilized for determination of identity and for determination of lot-to-lot consistency of raw materials.

Meet the speakers and representatives from the HPTLC Association

Take the opportunity to engage in discussions with speakers, colleagues, and representatives from the HPTLC Association in a moderated Zoom meeting, scheduled immediately after the main event. A separate registration for the Zoom meeting is not required – an access link will be sent to all registrants of the main event.

Key learning objectives

• Expand your knowledge of HPTLC and understand the benefits of HPTLC for diverse applications
• Get insights into the daily work of HPTLC users
• Learn how to optimize your HPTLC application(s)

Who should attend?

• Researchers in analytical science
• Students interested in analytical/plant science
• Analysts
• Technicians
• Members of the HPTLC Association

Presenter: Brittany Brodziski (QC Supervisor, Nature's Way)

Brittany Brodziski is working at Nature’s Way as a QC analytical supervisor. She has been with the company for over 12 years, initially starting as a QC chemist. Currently, her primary focus is on dietary supplement ingredient identification. This includes botanical identification by HPTLC and DNA as well as other dietary ingredients by FTIR. She also oversees minerals potency testing by ICP-OES/MS, heavy metals contaminant testing by ICP-MS, and vitamin potency testing by HPLC.

Presenter: Kelsey Patterson (Graduate student in forensic science, Cedar Crest College)

Kelsey Patterson graduated from Saint Francis University in 2019 with her bachelor’s degree in chemistry. After graduating she enjoyed working in the Mars Wrigley research and development lab. She is currently a student at Cedar Crest College looking to graduate in May 2022 with her master’s degree in forensic science. She is a member of the Gamma Sigma Epsilon chemistry honor society and the Delta Delta Epsilon forensic science honor society. In 2021, she presented her research at the Eastern Analytical Symposium in Plainsboro, NJ. Her thesis pertains to how tryptamine-based drugs can be analyzed using HPTLC.

Presenter: Dr. Sidney Sudberg (President & CSO, Alkemist Labs)

Dr. Sidney Sudberg is the founder, president, and CSO of Alkemist Labs, founded in 1997. With the intention of filling a much-needed void in the dietary supplement industry, Alkemist Labs began to identify and authenticate botanicals with HPTLC methods and microscopy, which they continue to do currently. Sidney is very involved with many industry organizations and is the current Chair of the Committee on Statistics for AOAC, a member of several committees of the American Herbal Products Association, a frequent HPTLC and microscopy methods contributor to the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, and others.

Presenter: Blake Forman (Editorial Team, SelectScience)

Blake studied chemistry at the University of Surrey, UK, and further went on to study a master’s in chemistry at the University of Southampton, UK. Blake has previously worked in the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) lab at LGC and as a technical sales specialist for Waters. As a member of the Editorial team, he now plays an integral role in shaping the content on SelectScience.