Skip to content
Cirpusins®
  • About Cirpusins®
    • Introduction
    • Background
    • Benefits*
    • Awards
  • Research
    • In vitro
    • Preclinical
    • Clinical
    • Pharmacokinetics
    • Publications
  • IP Rights
    • Patents
  • About Sabinsa
    • Newsroom
      • Press Releases
      • Blog Posts
      • Whitepapers
  • Contact Us

Sabinsa takes action against Biotikon for synthetic curcumin adulteration

Sabinsa has taken legal action against a German company, Biotikon Produkte der Komplementärmedizin, Herr Dr. Alexander Michalzik, Buchklinger Weg 17, 69517 Gorxheimertal, Germany, for selling curcumin supplements described as derived from turmeric root but which independent testing confirmed contained significant amounts of synthetic curcumin.

Although Sabinsa several times requested that Biotikon cease & desist advertising the company’s curcumin as natural, Biotikon did not comply. Sabinsa therefore saw no alternative other than to initiate actions at the civil courts of Germany and with the District Attorney, Darmstadt, and the Veterinary and Consumer Protection Agency, Heppenheim.

The dispute covers the damages for false advertising of a synthetic product as natural, and for using Sabinsa’s trademark “ BioPerine®” illegally without Sabinsa’s consent, undermining the credibility of the trademark, plus court costs and legal fees.

Sabinsa also claims that Biotikon has been using published studies on Sabinsa’s Curcumin C3 Complex® and BioPerine® ingredients in marketing Biotikon’s products adulterated with synthetic curcumin.

“Sabinsa has taken a strong stand to combat the substituting of natural curcumin with synthetic versions, alerting the industry to the adulteration problem two years ago when Sabinsa became aware that Turmeric extracts adulterated with synthetic curcuminoids were infiltrating the market,” said Sabinsa founder Dr. Muhammed Majeed. “Continuing the company’s proactive leadership in addressing this problem, Sabinsa initiated radio carbon testing for all batches of Curcumin C3 Complex®, safeguarding customer and consumer confidence in their product.”

Synthetic curcumin is made from petroleum-based materials in which radiocarbon is totally absent, unlike plant-derived material where a definitive amount is present. Testing methods such as Accelerator Mass Spectrometry can accurately assess the content of radiocarbon in a sample and can readily distinguish between a natural sample and its synthetic version. It can even determine the extent or degree of synthetic contamination in a professed natural product when both the natural and synthetic products are mixed, a common practice to offer cheap material.

For more information, visit www.sabinsa.com and  www.curcuminoids.com.

Back

About Sabinsa

Sabinsa is a manufacturer, supplier and marketer of herbal extracts, cosmeceuticals, minerals, dietary supplements and specialty fine chemicals for the nutritional, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and food industries.

Read More...

Headquarters

Sabinsa Corporation

20 Lake Drive 

East Windsor

NJ 08520, USA

 

Tel : +1 732 777 1111

Fax: +1 732 777 1443

info@sabinsa.com

Global Contact List

USAIndia
Utah, USAJapan
AustraliaPoland
BrasilKorea
CanadaSouth Africa
ChinaVietnam
Germany 

Contact us

    © 2025 Sabinsa. All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy | Sitemap | Terms of Use | Disclaimer

    ×

    Disclaimer

    US-FDA: This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

    Usage disclaimer: The information pertaining to any marketing materials by Sabinsa, is for general purposes only. Users are urged to check the validity of patents if any, on any Sabinsa items for their intended use.

    EFSA: This statement has not been evaluated by the EFSA. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

    Australia: Please note as an ingredient supplier the information contained in this website is for marketers of finished products formulations and is not intended as consumer advice. Marketers should ensure finished products are lawful and comply with the regulations of the countries in which these items are sold. Every care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the information provided at the time of publication.