Due to the commercialization of nanotechnology, consumer products containing nanomaterials are beginning to enter our daily lives through various consumer products. In particular engineered metallic nanomaterials have been utilized in various products including foods, food containers, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, personal care products, and dietary supplements. In order to perform science-based risk assessments and protect consumers, the development of methodologies to detect and quantify the presence of nanomaterials in these types of products is essential.In this study, we are focused on dietary supplements marketed specifically for the female population. A total of 16 commercial products were randomly selected from various retailers, where one-half of the products claim to contain nanomaterials or to have nanotechnology-based components. In order to isolate nanostructures from these products, we have developed novel methods which utilize acid digestion and centrifugation. Once isolated, the chemical composition, size, morphology, and crystalline structure were characterized using techniques such as inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS), dynamic light scattering (DLS), field emission-scanning electron microscope (FESEM), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry (EDS), and x-ray diffraction (XRD). By using these methods, metallic nanostructures such as SiO2, TiO2, Fe, Ag, Pt, and Au were detected in 12 of the 16 products. Many of the isolated nano-scale materials showed large aggregation/agglomeration, but individual structures were still below 100 nm, in at least one dimension.

Detection and characterization of nanoscale materials in dietary supplements

248th National Meeting (2014)

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