THOUSANDS OF BOTTLES: The ingredient Extracyan, imported from France, has been found to be contaminated, and the pills containing it were recalled, despite passing tests
Taipei Times
Date: Nov 26, 2017
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
Uni-President Enterprises Corp (統一企業) has reported that a bilberry extract dietary
A bottle of a bilberry extract dietary supplement sold by Uni-President Enterprises Corp is pictured yesterday. Photo courtesy of the Food and Drug Administration
supplement was found to contain an ingredient contaminated with radioactive cesium-137 at levels above the regulated safety standard and is recalling the product, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday.
The company had sent samples of the ingredient Extracyan — a cateco-anthocyanidins standardized extract of bilberry fruit — used in its dietary supplement Yu-bei “eye and brain protection capsules” (預倍保明智膠囊) to the Atomic Energy Council’s Institute of Nuclear Energy Research for examination.
The company yesterday notified the FDA after a preliminary examination found that the Extracyan contained radioactive cesium-137 that produced 477 becquerels per kilogram (Bq/kg).
The FDA said the capsules were commissioned to and manufactured by Chung Nan Biotech Co (中南生物科技) in Nantou County, and 10kg of Extracyan used in the product was imported from France by Healthtake Corp (和司特) on Aug. 17 last year.
Eight kilograms were supplied to Chung Nan Biotech to make three batches of the capsules — two batches with an expiry date of Jan. 11, 2019, and one batch with an expiry date of Sept. 7, 2019, for a total of 3,328 bottles, the FDA said. [FULL STORY]
