Reading a lab report: the certificate of analysis

A certificate of analysis is a laboratory's report on one lot of material. It names the product, the lot number, the methods used and the results, with the name of the lab and the report date. A report applies only to the lot on it, not to earlier or later production.

HPLC (liquid chromatography at high pressure) separates the substances in a sample. A detector measures what comes out of the column; the result is a chromatogram with peaks. Purity is the area of the main peak as a percentage of all peaks together.

A purity of 99% therefore means that 1% of the measured signal comes from something else, with peptides often related chains formed during synthesis, such as chains missing one amino acid. Purity is a ratio: it says nothing about how much material is in the vial.

HPLC shows how pure a substance is, but not which substance it is. For that the lab measures the mass by mass spectrometry. You compare that measured mass with the peptide's theoretical mass.

• If the measured mass matches the expected one, identity is confirmed.
• If the mass is clearly different, the vial holds another substance, even when purity is high.
• With TB-500, for example, the mass shows whether you have the full peptide or the short fragment.

Some reports also state how much peptide the lab measured in the vial, in mg. You can set that against the label: if the vial says 10 mg, the measured content should be close to it. A freeze-dried powder is not 100% peptide; part of it is counter-ion (such as acetate or TFA) and residual moisture.

• The lot number on the report should be the same as the lot number on your vial.
• The report names the laboratory that did the analysis, with a reference number and a date.
• An independent lab has no stake in the outcome. Many labs let you check a report on their own site with the reference or lot number.

• No lot number, or a lot number that is not on your vial.
• Only a purity figure, without a mass measurement.
• No laboratory name, no date or no reference.
• The same report with every order and every strength, for years.
• A report you cannot check with the laboratory.

All BrabantLabs certificates are on Lab results, searchable by product, lot and laboratory. We only publish a certificate when our stock demonstrably comes from the tested lot, and we copy the results unchanged. See for example the certificates for BPC-157 and TB-500.

Does 99% purity tell me how many mg are in the vial?

No. Purity is a ratio between the substances in the sample. How much peptide the vial holds is under measured content, if the report states it.

Why are both HPLC and MS needed?

HPLC measures how pure a substance is, MS which substance it is. High purity of the wrong substance says nothing; only together do they give the full picture.

How do I check that a certificate is genuine?

Check that the lot number matches your vial and look the report up at the laboratory itself, with the reference or lot number.

Why is there a new report per lot?

Every production run can turn out differently. A report applies only to the lot that was tested, so every new lot needs a new report.

• View BPC-157 in the shop
• View TB-500 in the shop