Germany: Oregano, fewer adulterations but too many pesticides remain

Three years later, the German government carried out a new control on the quality of the minced oregano, discovering a much better market than the one that the analyzes had photographed in 2019. The checks in 2019 had highlighted a worrying situation: remarkably high levels of pyrrolizidine alkaloids (Ap), which is why about 70% of the samples were rejected precisely because of its insecurity. On the other hand, 20% of the oregano samples were adulterated with large quantities of olive leaves and / or rockrose to maximize profits. It was precisely the results of those analyzes that convinced the government of a further and more in-depth analysis on the supply of oregano. In 2021, the control analyzes involved 36 samples looking for pyrrolizidine alkaloids, cases of adulteration and pesticides. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids Pyrrolizidine alkaloids are a large group of natural substances found in many plant species. Presumably they serve plants as a defense mechanism against herbivorous ...