โก Quick Summary
This review highlights the significant public health risks posed by illicit additives in weight-loss dietary supplements and evaluates advanced analytical methods for their detection. The study emphasizes the need for sensitive and reliable monitoring techniques to safeguard consumer health.
๐ Key Details
- ๐ Databases used: PubMed, ScienceDirect, Web of Science
- ๐งฉ Timeframe: 2012 to 2025
- โ๏ธ Techniques evaluated: Solid-phase extraction (SPE), molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE), dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE), magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE), solid-phase microextraction (SPME)
- ๐ Detection technologies: Chromatography-mass spectrometry, immunoassays, electrochemical sensors
๐ Key Takeaways
- โ ๏ธ Public health risks from illegal additives in weight-loss supplements are significant.
- ๐ฌ Advanced analytical methods are crucial for effective monitoring.
- ๐งช Enrichment techniques like SPE and MISPE enhance detection capabilities.
- ๐ Chromatography-mass spectrometry offers high sensitivity for detecting illicit substances.
- โก Immunoassays provide rapid screening capabilities.
- ๐ Electrochemical sensors are portable and useful for on-site testing.
- ๐ค Future developments should integrate artificial intelligence for improved monitoring.
- ๐ Findings are applicable to fields such as chemistry, food safety, and pharmacy.

๐ Background
The adulteration of weight-loss dietary supplements with illegal additives poses serious risks to public health, including potential toxicity and adverse health effects. As the demand for weight-loss products continues to rise, so does the need for effective monitoring to ensure consumer safety. This review aims to address these challenges by evaluating advanced analytical techniques that can detect these harmful substances.
๐๏ธ Study
The scoping review conducted by Wang et al. utilized multiple databases to gather information on the public health risks associated with illicit additives in weight-loss supplements. The study focused on various enrichment and detection technologies, assessing their principles, advantages, and limitations to provide a comprehensive overview of the current landscape in this field.
๐ Results
The review identified several enrichment techniques that effectively isolate target compounds from complex matrices. Techniques such as solid-phase extraction and its variants demonstrated high efficiency in enriching illicit additives. Furthermore, the comparison of detection technologies revealed that while chromatography-mass spectrometry offers high sensitivity, immunoassays provide rapid results, and electrochemical sensors are advantageous for their portability.
๐ Impact and Implications
The findings of this review underscore the urgent need for improved monitoring of weight-loss dietary supplements to protect public health. By adopting advanced analytical methods, regulatory bodies and manufacturers can better ensure the safety and efficacy of these products. The integration of artificial intelligence and multi-technology approaches could further enhance monitoring capabilities, paving the way for safer consumer choices in the dietary supplement market.
๐ฎ Conclusion
This review highlights the critical role of advanced enrichment and detection technologies in addressing the public health risks associated with illicit additives in weight-loss dietary supplements. As we move forward, a focus on intelligent platforms and multi-technology integration will be essential for safeguarding consumer health and ensuring the integrity of dietary products. Continued research in this area is vital for developing effective solutions to combat adulteration.
๐ฌ Your comments
What are your thoughts on the risks associated with illicit additives in dietary supplements? How do you think advanced technologies can improve consumer safety? ๐ฌ Share your insights in the comments below or connect with us on social media:
Advanced enrichment and detection technologies for illicit additives in weight-loss dietary supplements.
Abstract
The adulteration of weight-loss dietary supplements with illegal additives poses significant risks to public health, it is necessary to develop sensitive and reliable analytical methods for their monitoring. A scoping review was conducted using PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases (between 2012 and 2025). This review summarizes the public health risks posed by illegal additives in weight-loss dietary supplements and evaluates advanced analytical solutions. It introduces in detail the typical enrichment techniques, such as solid-phase extraction (SPE), molecularly imprinted solid-phase extraction (MISPE), dispersive solid-phase extraction (d-SPE), magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) and solid-phase microextraction (SPME), which use porous materials to efficiently enrich targets from complex matrices. Correspondingly, we compare the principles, advantages (e.g., high sensitivity of chromatography-mass spectrometry, rapid screening capability of immunoassays, and portability of electrochemical sensors) and limitations (e.g., interference, cost and portability) of major detection technologies. Future development should focus on intelligent platform, multi-technology integration and artificial intelligence to improve monitoring and safeguard public health. Notably, the advantageous features of the enrichment and detection techniques summarized in this review also provide significant guidance for research and applications in related fields such as chemistry, food and pharmacy.
Author: [‘Wang B’, ‘Wu J’, ‘Zhang T’]
Journal: Food Res Int
Citation: Wang B, et al. Advanced enrichment and detection technologies for illicit additives in weight-loss dietary supplements. Advanced enrichment and detection technologies for illicit additives in weight-loss dietary supplements. 2026; 235:119124. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2026.119124