Summary.K. Ivanov

The market of food additives is growing. There is a big demand of food supplements with androgenic compounds from extracts of Tribulus terrestris Linn., Rhaponticum carthamoides L. or tree Yohimbe. Food additives with androgenic effects very often contain steroidal saponins, ecdysteroids, Yohimbine, Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) or combination of these substances. The steroids are forbidden substances in food supplements. Recent studies show that non – hormonal additives such as vitamins, minerals andaminoacids can contain a not declared on the labels of the products anabolic androgenic steroids: prohormones of Testosterone or 19-Nortestosterone. These undeclared substances can cause health risks to consumers and might lead to positive results in sports doping control, especially for Nandrolone metabolite Norandrosterone. This paper reviews investigation of some food additives, containing compounds with androgenic activity like extracts from Tribulus terrestris Linn., ecdysteroids, Yohimbine and DHEA and the most used methods for their analysis.