Analysis of tea, herbal infusions and fruit infusions

Our tea expertise, your success

Within the Eurofins laboratory network for food and feed testing in Germany, we accompany your entire value chain: from sampling on site, testing of both raw materials and finished products, to labelling checks or analyses of the packaging. We are happy to advise you on all relevant analyses specific for your teas or individual raw products.

Our analyses and service offer for tea, herbal teas and blends

Tea (Camellia sinensis), peppermint, mate, rooibos, liquorice root, camomile and others originate from many different countries around the world. Thus, the quality of tea and herbal infusions depends on many factors, such as climate, region and environmental conditions. Already during growth, undesirable residues can be absorbed by the plants, which vary according to origin and plant. During the harvest of tea and herbs, toxicologically harmful plant constituents can enter the batches in the form of weeds. In addition, long transport and storage of tea and herbs may increase the risk of mould or pest infestation.

We offer you the necessary security for a marketable product with regard to quality assurance and compliance with legal requirements at all stages, from the raw material to the finished product. Besides the most important analyses for residues and contaminants, for example pesticides, heavy metals, pyrrolizidine alkaloids and mycotoxins, the microbiological testing of teas and herbal infusions are also significant. Additionally, specific ingredients such as vitamins and minerals are vital analytical parameters for some products.

Pesticide analyses

Our pesticide screening analyses cover around 700 pesticides in one method, using state-of-the-art technologies such as GC- and LC-MS/MS. The spectrum of active substances analysed is specifically tailored to the product group of herbs or teas. We are also happy to examine parameters of currently important topics in pesticide analysis for you, such as ethylene oxide or glyphosate.

Consulting and services

With many years of experience in this sector, we can support you from the very beginning in the preparation of testing plans by means of risk-based analysis recommendations, depending on the product and its origin. We offer you the appropriate support for both organically and conventionally produced goods. In addition to the legal evaluation of measurement results, the Eurofins laboratory network for food and feed analysis in Germany also offers national and international labelling checks.

Memberships and approvals of individual Eurofins laboratories

• The German Tea Association (Deutscher Tee & Kräutertee Verband e.V.)
• Tea & Herbal Infusions Europe (THIE)
• Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh) (Association of German Chemists)
• Bundesverband Naturkost Naturwaren (BNN) e.V. (Association of Organic Processors, Wholesalers and Retailers)

Legal classification

Legally, tea and herbal infusions are a special group of foodstuffs, as they are usually not consumed themselves, but rather the infusions of them. Nevertheless, legal requirements for teas are usually related to the dry product, as the products are mainly offered in this form. For example, pesticides are regulated in Regulation (EC) No. 396/2005 for pesticide residues in dry tea, but analyses in the infusions may also be of interest for toxicological considerations or verification of  vitamin enhanced teas.

Food Legislation News

The Eurofins Food Legislation News are published every two months, focusing on innovations in food legislation and interesting court rulings. Here you will find, among other things, information worth knowing about food supplements, tea-relevant topics and an overview of important rapid alerts from the RASFF on a regular basis.

Relevant legal bases and guidelines

• Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council (maximum residue levels of pesticides) (consolidated text)
• Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/915 (Contaminants-Regulation)
• Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic production
• Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council (food information regulation) (consolidated text)

Other interesting pages

Image: ©iStockphoto.com/Elena Schweitzer