{"id":31359,"date":"2026-08-13T10:35:29","date_gmt":"2026-08-13T08:35:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nui-vital.ch\/magazin\/wie-sicher-ist-noni-saft-laboranalysen\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T14:17:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T12:17:47","slug":"how-safe-is-noni-juice-lab-analyses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nui-vital.ch\/en\/magazin\/how-safe-is-noni-juice-lab-analyses\/","title":{"rendered":"How safe is noni juice? What lab analyses show about heavy metals, pesticides and ethylene oxide"},"content":{"rendered":"

In brief:<\/strong> Noni juice is tested for heavy metals, pesticide residues and ethylene oxide because tropical fruits can absorb traces from the soil and the surrounding air. The most important parameter is lead. What matters is not the concentration in the glass, but the amount that actually reaches the body: over the recommended daily amount of 120 ml, that is around 1.2 micrograms of lead<\/strong> \u2013 about one to five percent of what an adult in Europe takes in on average every day from their entire diet. Here we explain step by step why percentages relative to the limit value are of little help, how to read a test report and what it does not answer.<\/p>\n

\n

Contents<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Why is noni juice tested for contaminants at all?<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Which values are measured in noni juice?<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Why is lead, of all things, the most important parameter?<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. How do you read a test report correctly?<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. What are the values of NUI NONI Original?<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. How much lead do you actually take in from noni juice?<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. Why do juices with a high fruit content show higher readings?<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Who carries out the analyses?<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. What a test report does not tell you<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. Frequently asked questions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
    \n

    Why is noni juice tested for contaminants at all?<\/h2>\n

    Every plant absorbs through its roots and leaves whatever is present in its environment. That includes nutrients \u2013 but also trace elements from soil, water and air. In fruit from areas close to heavy traffic or from industrial regions, this can become measurable.<\/p>\n

    In French Polynesia, the noni fruit (Morinda citrifolia<\/em>) often grows wild and untended, sometimes right at the roadside. That is exactly why the origin of the fruit is not a marketing detail but a quality factor that can and should be measured.<\/p>\n

    In the EU, binding maximum levels for contaminants apply to food. They are laid down in Regulation (EU) 2023\/915. A food that exceeds them must not be sold. Complying with these limits is therefore not a promise of quality but a legal obligation for every supplier.<\/p>\n

    The real difference lies elsewhere: how often is testing done, what is tested for, and does a manufacturer disclose the results?<\/p>\n

    Which values are measured in noni juice?<\/h2>\n

    A meaningful testing programme for fruit juices covers three groups:<\/p>\n

    Heavy metals.<\/strong> Lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury. They enter the plant via soil, dust and water. The analysis is carried out after an aqua regia digestion, which dissolves the sample completely so that bound fractions are also captured.<\/p>\n

    Ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol.<\/strong> Ethylene oxide is a fumigant that has not been authorised for the treatment of food in the EU for a long time. Following the Europe-wide recalls between 2020 and 2022 \u2013 mainly of sesame and food supplements \u2013 this parameter belongs in every serious testing programme. 2-chloroethanol is its breakdown product.<\/p>\n

    Pesticide residues.<\/strong> Testing is done by QuEChERS screening, a multi-residue method that covers several hundred active substances at once. For organic products, this is the decisive check, because it backs up the certification status analytically.<\/p>\n

    Why is lead, of all things, the most important parameter?<\/h2>\n

    Because it has been shown to be the most critical one for noni. A study by the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, published in 2012, analysed noni samples from 42 locations in French Polynesia as well as 16 commercial noni juices from the European market.<\/p>\n

    The result: for arsenic, cadmium and lead, the median values were below 2 % of the EU maximum level. However, one of the 16 retail samples reached around 170 % of the maximum level for lead and therefore could not legally be sold; two others were above 80 %. The authors were able to trace the cause in the field: trees along busy roads showed markedly elevated lead levels.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Source:<\/strong> Basar S., Westendorf J.: Mineral and Trace Element Concentrations in Morinda citrifolia L. (Noni) Leaf, Fruit and Fruit Juice.<\/em> Food and Nutrition Sciences 2012; 3: 1176\u20131188. DOI: 10.4236\/fns.2012.38155<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    The practical consequence is clear: for noni, lead belongs in every incoming goods specification \u2013 not arsenic or cadmium first. That is exactly what our testing programme is designed around.<\/p>\n

    The study also compared the noni samples with readings from a mixed fruit basket from Pakistan; the lead levels there were considerably higher. However, a single comparison like this says more about the growing region concerned than about the type of fruit \u2013 it cannot be applied to European fruit.<\/p>\n

    How do you read a test report correctly?<\/h2>\n

    Test reports are written for specialists. Four points help you put them into context:<\/p>\n

    \u201cn. n.\u201d and \u201c< BG\u201d do not mean zero.<\/strong> These German abbreviations stand for \u201cnot detected\u201d and \u201cbelow the limit of quantification\u201d. \u201cNot detected\u201d means: below the limit of quantification of the method. Every analytical method has a detection threshold. The reputable statement is therefore \u201cbelow 0.010 mg\/kg\u201d, not the claim \u201cfree from\u201d.<\/p>\n

    Check the units.<\/strong> Laboratory values for liquids are often given in mg\/l, whereas legal maximum levels are given in mg\/kg. For fruit juices with a density of around 1.03 g\/ml, the difference is small, but it exists.<\/p>\n

    A percentage of the limit value says more than the bare number.<\/strong> \u201c0.0096 mg\/l lead\u201d sounds worrying to laypeople. Putting it as \u201caround 32 % of the strictest applicable EU maximum level\u201d conveys the same information \u2013 just in an understandable way.<\/p>\n

    Pay attention to the scope of accreditation.<\/strong> A laboratory can be accredited to ISO\/IEC 17025 without every single method falling within its scope of accreditation. This is stated in the footnotes of the report and is relevant when results are presented to authorities or trading partners.<\/p>\n

    What are the values of NUI NONI Original?<\/h2>\n

    The current analysis was carried out by Kalb Analytik GmbH in Feldkirch and released in June 2026. Original containers from ongoing production were tested. We provide the full test report<\/strong> as a PDF download \u2013 we deliberately do not pass on extracts in isolation, but always in the context of the complete document.<\/p>\n

    \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
    Parameter<\/th>\nResult<\/th>\nShare of the EU maximum level<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
    Lead<\/td>\n0.0096 mg\/l<\/td>\naround 32 %<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Arsenic (total)<\/td>\nbelow 0.010 mg\/l<\/td>\nat most 50 %<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Cadmium<\/td>\nbelow 0.0020 mg\/l<\/td>\nunremarkable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Mercury<\/td>\nbelow 0.0010 mg\/l<\/td>\nunremarkable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Ethylene oxide + 2-chloroethanol<\/td>\nnot detected<\/td>\n\u2013<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
    Pesticides (multi-screening)<\/td>\nnot detected<\/td>\n\u2013<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/figure>\n
    \"Bar
    The only measurable value is lead. All other parameters were below the detection threshold of the method.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

    \ud83d\udcc4 Download the full test report (PDF)<\/a><\/strong> \u2013 all parameters, methods and footnotes in the original.<\/p>\n

    Important for context: these results apply to the sample tested<\/strong>. A test report does not allow conclusions to be drawn from a single sample about all batches as a whole \u2013 the laboratory states this explicitly in the report. That is precisely why testing is repeated instead of relying on a single result. In addition, the heavy metal methods are not within the laboratory’s scope of accreditation, and ethylene oxide and pesticides were analysed by a subcontracted laboratory; both are indicated as footnotes in the report.<\/p>\n

    Two remarks on the fairness of this table: for lead, we deliberately applied the strictest maximum level that could possibly apply \u2013 the one for fruit juices. For arsenic, total arsenic was measured, whereas the limit value applies to inorganic arsenic; since the total result is already below the limit of quantification, the inorganic fraction is necessarily below it as well.<\/p>\n

    How much lead do you actually take in from noni juice?<\/h2>\n

    At this point, percentages are misleading \u2013 including our own. \u201c32 % of the maximum level\u201d describes a concentration<\/strong>: how much lead there is in one litre. For the body, however, what counts is the amount that actually arrives<\/strong>. And that depends on how much you drink.<\/p>\n

    The recommended daily amount is two servings of 60 ml. At 0.0096 mg of lead per litre, this results in:<\/p>\n

    around 1.2 micrograms of lead per day.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    For comparison: the European Food Safety Authority puts the average lead intake of adults in Europe from their entire<\/strong> diet at 0.36 to 1.24 micrograms per kilogram of body weight per day. For a person weighing 70 kg, that is about 25 to 87 micrograms a day.<\/p>\n

    Noni juice contributes about one to five percent<\/strong> of this.<\/p>\n

    \n

    \u201cThe percentage of the maximum level says little, but to laypeople it sounds like a lot. What matters is how much you actually take in \u2013 and for that, the amount consumed is what counts. With the small quantities of a juice that you drink each day, the contribution to total lead intake is negligible.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Prof. Dr. Johannes Westendorf<\/strong> \u00b7 Pharmacologist and toxicologist, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf \u00b7 NUI Scientific Advisory Board<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    This has less to do with the product than with the serving size. Maximum levels for food are derived from an assumed average consumption. With foods of which you eat several hundred grams a day \u2013 bread, cereals, vegetables, potatoes \u2013 even a low concentration has a noticeable effect. From a juice that you drink in 60 ml servings, little arrives even at a higher concentration.<\/p>\n

    In addition, the sources differ depending on the metal. We take in lead mainly through plant-based foods, whereas mercury comes almost exclusively from fish. Someone who follows a vegetarian diet therefore has a different intake profile from someone who eats fish regularly \u2013 the same number does not mean the same thing for two people.<\/p>\n

    And one point that honesty requires: in 2010, EFSA withdrew its former weekly reference value for lead because no threshold can be determined below which effects could be ruled out with certainty. The sensible question is therefore not \u201cis it below the limit value?\u201d, but \u201chow much does it contribute to total intake?\u201d. With 120 ml of juice a day: very little.<\/p>\n

    \n

    Source:<\/strong> EFSA Panel on Contaminants in the Food Chain: Scientific Opinion on Lead in Food.<\/em> EFSA Journal 2010; 8(4): 1570. DOI: 10.2903\/j.efsa.2010.1570<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

    Why do juices with a high fruit content show higher readings?<\/h2>\n

    This is the point that is most often misunderstood when comparing analyses.<\/p>\n

    Metals and minerals are mostly bound to the fruit pulp. The same Hamburg study showed that clear, filtered juice contains only 15 to 70 % of the levels measured in the corresponding fruit puree. Anyone who dilutes juice or filters it heavily automatically lowers all readings \u2013 the desirable ones as well as the undesirable ones.<\/p>\n

    A low absolute value is therefore no proof of clean fruit. It can simply mean that there is less fruit in it.<\/p>\n

    NUI NONI Original contains 41 % noni fruit puree from Tahiti<\/strong>, complemented by grape, pomegranate and blueberry. A value of 32 % of the limit value must be seen against this background: it comes from a product with a high puree content, not from a diluted drink. A comparison between two juices only becomes meaningful when you put the fruit content alongside it.<\/p>\n

    Who carries out the analyses?<\/h2>\n

    The analysis was carried out by Kalb Analytik GmbH in Feldkirch<\/strong>, an independent Austrian testing laboratory with its own branch in Switzerland. Not by us. That is the crucial point: in-house self-monitoring is no substitute for external analysis.<\/p>\n

    For the sake of transparency, it should be added that the sampling was carried out by us as the client and that it is a random sample from ongoing production. Official sampling by the authorities would formally carry more weight. For internal quality assurance and as evidence for trading partners, this procedure is customary and appropriate.<\/p>\n

    What a test report does not tell you<\/h2>\n

    Honesty is part of transparency. This analysis answers a lot \u2013 but not everything:<\/p>\n