Determination of Illegal Adulteration of Dietary Supplements with Synthetic Hair-Growth Compounds by UPLC and LC-Q-TOF/MS

In the 2017 study, a new method using UPLC and LC-Q-TOF/MS was developed and validated to detect illegal adulteration of dietary supplements with synthetic hair-growth compounds. The method adhered to International Conference on Harmonization guidelines and demonstrated high specificity, linearity (R² > 0.999), accuracy (87-103%), and precision (intra- and inter-day precision values of 0.2-3.4% and 0.3-2.9%, respectively). Out of 78 analyzed samples, minoxidil and triaminodil were detected in capsules at concentrations of 4.69 mg/g and 6.54 mg/g, respectively, and finasteride was found in a tablet at 13.45 mg/g. The study concluded that the method is precise and of high quality, suitable for monitoring illegal drug adulteration in dietary supplements.