Research Literacy & Product Quality

A certificate of analysis reports the results of specified tests performed on a specified lot, by a specified laboratory, on a specified date.

• Check: product identity, lot/batch number, test date, methods used, the testing party, and the stated result.
• A COA describes one lot. It says nothing about a different lot.
• A COA is a document about material characteristics; it is not a safety assessment or an approval.

Identity asks 'is this the molecule it claims to be?' Purity asks 'how much of this sample is that molecule?' They are answered by different methods.

• Mass spectrometry is commonly used to support identity by measuring mass-to-charge characteristics.
• HPLC is commonly used to estimate purity by separating components and measuring relative peak area.
• A high purity figure on a correctly identified molecule still tells you nothing about how it may be used.

COAs are useful and narrow. Treating one as a proof of quality across a supplier's catalogue is a common and serious error.

• Method, wavelength, and sample preparation all affect a reported purity number.
• A COA usually does not cover sterility, endotoxin, residual solvents, or stability unless those tests are explicitly listed.
• In-house testing and independent third-party testing are different things; the document should say which it is.
• Marketing takeaway: quote a COA only by pointing to the supplier's current official document, and never generalise it.

Traceability is the practical value of lot records — connecting a physical unit back to the document that describes it.

• A lot number on the container should match the lot number on the document.
• Retention of records, re-test dates, and storage statements belong to the supplier.
• If a lot cannot be traced to a document, there is nothing for you to cite.

Questions Peptide King expects to be able to ask any participating supplier before that supplier appears in this hub.

• Is the catalogue clearly and consistently positioned as research use only?
• Are COAs published per lot, with methods and testing party stated?
• Is third-party testing used, and is it identified as such?
• Are shipping, fulfilment, refund, and complaint policies published and current?
• Does the supplier publish written affiliate/marketing rules, and are they enforced?
• Is there a named route for partners to escalate a compliance concern?

Our internal review checklist, stated plainly so partners know exactly what it is — and what it is not.

• Scope: documentation availability, published policies, marketing-rule clarity, and responsiveness.
• Outcome: a supplier may be listed as a participating supplier in this hub.
• A Peptide King review is a commercial and documentation review carried out by Peptide King.
• It is not FDA approval, not a safety finding, not an efficacy finding, and not a government endorsement of any kind.
• Partners must not describe a supplier as 'vetted and safe', 'approved', or 'certified' on the basis of this checklist.

Checklist criteria are versioned. The published version governs; individual supplier outcomes are not published as scores or ratings.