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Planta Med 2002; 68(1): 5-15
DOI: 10.1055/s-2002-20060
Review

© Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York

Microbial Contamination of Medicinal Plants -
A Review[*]

Wolfgang Kneifel1 , Erich Czech2 , Brigitte Kopp3
  • 11 Department of Dairy Research and Bacteriology, University of Agricultural Sciences, Vienna, Austria
  • 22 Department of Environmental Biotechnology, IFA-Tulln, Austria
  • 33 Institute of Pharmacognosy, University of Vienna, Austria
Further Information

Publication History

June 2, 2001

September 22, 2001

Publication Date:
31 January 2002 (online)

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Abstract

Medicinal plants may be associated with a broad variety of microbial contaminants, which are represented by bacteria, fungi and viruses. Inevitably, this microbiological background depends on several environmental factors and exerts an important impact on the overall quality of herbal products and preparations. Risk assessment of the microbial load of medicinal plants has therefore become an important subject in the establishment of modern Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) schemes. This study intends to contribute to this knowledge by giving a survey of published data regarding the microbial contamination of herbal plants, by dealing with methodological aspects and by considering the influence of different commonly used pharmaceutical preparation techniques on the microbiological status of the products. Finally, quality standards are discussed, which could be considered for guidelines and/or possible inclusion in the Ph.Eur. 2000.

Key words

Medicinal plants - herbal drugs - microbiological quality - review

1 * Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Fleischhacker, University of Vienna, on the occasion of his 70th birthday

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1 * Dedicated to Prof. Dr. Wilhelm Fleischhacker, University of Vienna, on the occasion of his 70th birthday

W. Kneifel

Department of Dairy Research & Bacteriology

University of Agricultural Sciences

Gregor Mendel-Str. 33

1180 Vienna

Austria

Email:

Phone: +43-1-47654-6103

Fax: +43-1-47654-6122

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