How to read a certificate of analysis
What a certificate of analysis shows, the terms you will see on one, and the checks worth making before you trust it.
A certificate of analysis, often shortened to CoA, is a laboratory report on a specific batch. It is the single most useful document a peptide supplier can show you.
What it should contain
- The compound name and the batch or lot number.
- The testing laboratory and the date of the test.
- Identity, usually confirmed by mass spectrometry. The measured mass should match the expected mass of the peptide.
- Purity, usually measured by HPLC and given as a percentage.
- Content, the amount of peptide in the vial.
Some reports also include endotoxin or sterility results.
Terms you will see
- HPLC: high performance liquid chromatography. It separates what is in the sample so purity can be measured.
- MS: mass spectrometry. It confirms the compound is what the label says.
- Lot or batch number: the code that ties a certificate to a production run.
Five checks worth making
- Does the batch number on the certificate match the one on your vial?
- Is the laboratory named, and is it independent of the seller?
- Is the test dated recently?
- Can you verify the report with the laboratory, for example through a report code?
- Does the certificate show the actual data, not only a headline figure?
Red flags
- A certificate with no batch number.
- The same certificate used for years.
- A purity figure quoted on a website with no document behind it.
- A supplier who will not share the report.
Our certificates
We publish batch documentation on our certificates page. If a certificate is not yet available for a batch, we say so there.
BPC-157 is supplied for research use only. It is not a veterinary medicine and is not for human or animal consumption.