Use this guide to interpret certificates of analysis and analytical reports. Match each report to the exact lot code printed on the product label: a report applies only to the sample and lot it identifies, and only to the tests it lists.
Important: A certificate or analytical report is not evidence of clinical safety, efficacy, or suitability for human or veterinary use. Serum Research materials are sold for laboratory research only.
Request a lot-linked report
To ask whether a report is available, contact Serum Research with the compound name, labeled configuration and exact lot code. Compare any document provided with the label on the material. A missing public document does not establish either a passing or failing test result.
How to verify a certificate or report
1. Match the lot code
Compare the lot code on the physical product label with the code inside the document. A compound name alone is not enough. Do not use a record if the lot codes differ or if either code is missing.
2. Match the material
Confirm the compound, form or salt where applicable, labeled configuration, and sample description. Similar names do not guarantee that the report covers the same material.
3. Identify who issued the record
Look for the laboratory’s name and address, a report number, testing dates, and an authorized signature or review. The library should describe the issuer exactly as the document does. It should not imply that a supplier document was independently commissioned by Serum Research.
4. Read the method and result together
The test name alone is incomplete. Review the method reference, units, calculation basis, supporting chromatogram or spectrum, and any stated measurement uncertainty or limitations. On the quality-testing page, we explain why HPLC, LC–MS, identity, purity, and content answer different questions.
5. Check the specification
A result and an acceptance criterion are different pieces of information. If the report makes a conformance decision, it should name the specification or limit used. When no acceptance criterion is stated, do not assume one or translate the value into an unlabeled “pass.”
6. Check dates and record status
Review when the sample was received and tested, when the record was issued, and whether a later correction or replacement exists. A report may remain part of the archive while being clearly marked superseded or withdrawn.
Record-status definitions
Check the status attached to a report and whether a later version exists:
- Current: the latest verified document held for the identified lot.
- Corrected: the laboratory issued a revised version. Check its correction date and use the current file.
- Superseded: a newer document replaces this version; the older file is no longer current.
- Withdrawn: the issuer or Serum Research determined that the record should not be relied on. Ask for the documented reason if it is not supplied.
- Not published: no verified lot-linked document is available in the public library.
A label such as pending or in testing is a status claim, not a completed analytical result. Ask for confirmation of the sample submission and current status when that distinction matters.
Certificate of analysis versus analytical test report
These labels are related but not interchangeable.
WHO describes a certificate of analysis as a lot-specific listing of the procedures applied, results obtained, acceptance criteria, and whether the sample complied with the specification. A fuller analytical test report may also describe the procedures, background, data, discussion, and conclusions.
The library should preserve the document type chosen by the issuing laboratory. Serum Research should not rename a limited result sheet as a “full certificate of analysis,” add tests that are absent, or present a marketing summary as though it were the laboratory’s conclusion.
Independent testing and accreditation answer different questions
When a report is described as independent, ask who selected the sample, who supplied its identity, and how it was linked to the lot. A laboratory can test a submitted vial accurately while the evidence connecting that vial to the rest of the lot remains incomplete. Record the sampling and custody information separately from the laboratory’s name.
ISO/IEC 17025 addresses laboratory competence, impartiality and consistent operation. ILAC describes accreditation as an independent evaluation for specific activities. Consequently, check the laboratory’s current accreditation scope for the relevant test rather than treating a logo as coverage of every service it offers. Accreditation and lot linkage are complementary checks: neither a laboratory’s accredited status nor a separate company name establishes that sampling was representative, that every desired attribute was tested, or that the material matches a different study product.
What a certificate does not prove
Even a genuine, lot-matched certificate has a defined scope. Unless the relevant work is explicitly reported, it does not establish:
- that every container in the lot was individually tested;
- that an untested lot has the same result;
- identity when only a relative-purity procedure is reported;
- quantitative content when only identity or area percent is reported;
- sterility, bacterial-endotoxin status, or bioburden;
- absence of contaminants outside the method’s scope;
- stability through an unstated future date;
- clinical safety, efficacy, or fitness for any use; or
- regulatory approval of the material.
The tested sample may represent a lot, but the report should not be expanded beyond the sampling and lot-linkage evidence available.
About reference materials and traceability
Reference materials can support calibration, comparison, identity, or quantitative work, depending on their assigned properties and intended use. The report should identify the reference used and how it was used where that information is necessary to interpret the result.
A reference certificate is not automatically a certificate for the tested product. USP notes, for example, that its Reference Standard certificates are lot-specific documents for those standards and do not completely reproduce every test result from their evaluation. The suitability and assigned value of a reference depend on the stated procedure and intended use.
Likewise, metrological traceability applies to a measurement result through a documented reference chain; it is not a blanket property of a laboratory, instrument, or product.
Cannot find the correct lot?
Check the lot code exactly as printed, including letters, numbers, and punctuation. If the record is not present, send Serum Research:
- the compound name;
- the labeled configuration;
- the exact lot code; and
- a clear photograph of the label, with personal information excluded.
We will confirm only whether a matching document is available. The absence of a published record should not be interpreted as a passing or failing analytical result.
Frequently asked questions
Can the same certificate be used for a different lot of the same compound?
No. Match the report to the exact lot code on the product label. A result for one lot should not be carried over to another lot without its own supporting record.
Does “99% by HPLC” mean 99% of everything in the container is the target peptide?
Not necessarily. A chromatographic area percentage describes detector response under the stated method. It is not automatically a mass-balance measurement of all material in the container. Review the method, detector, integration basis, content assay, and any separate measurements.
Why might one lot have more than one report?
Different procedures answer different questions. Identity, chromatographic purity, quantitative content, water, residual solvents, or other attributes may appear in separate reports. Multiple documents may also exist if a laboratory issued a correction; the current status should be clear.
What if the PDF and product page show different lot codes?
Do not rely on the document for that product. Contact Serum Research so the mismatch can be investigated. A report should not be linked to the product until the lot relationship is verified.
Does a certificate show that a material is suitable for people or animals?
No. These documents report laboratory results for defined samples and methods. They are not clinical evidence and do not establish safety, efficacy, dosing, or suitability for human or veterinary use.