What we test, and what ships with your order
Ingredient quality is not a claim on a website — it is a set of numbers your QA team can check. Below is exactly what we test, what method we use, and what documentation accompanies every lot.
Certificate of Analysis — standard content
Every lot is released against the specification you approved. Unless you specify otherwise, the COA reports all of the following.
| Category | Test | Typical limit |
|---|---|---|
| Identity | Botanical identity, extract ratio | Conforms to specification |
| Assay | Marker compound(s), method stated (HPLC / UV) | Per agreed specification |
| Appearance | Colour, form | Characteristic |
| Physical | Particle size, loss on drying, total ash | ≤ 5.0% (typical) |
| Heavy metals | Lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury | Per current USP / EP limits |
| Microbiology | Total plate count, yeast & mould | < 1,000 / < 100 cfu/g |
| Microbiology | E. coli, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus | Negative |
| Residues | Residual solvents (ICH Q3C) | Within class limits, value declared |
| Product specific | e.g. ginkgolic acid, silybin, astragaloside IV | Per agreed specification |
The assay method is always stated on the COA. If a supplier reports a marker compound without saying whether the figure is HPLC or UV, the number is not comparable to anything — ask them which method was used.
Analytical methods
- HPLC — quantitative assay of marker compounds such as silymarin, silybin, astragaloside IV, ginkgo flavonoids and terpene lactones, berberine and rhodiola rosavins and salidroside.
- UV-VIS — used for polysaccharide and total-flavonoid assays where the specification permits. Always labelled as UV on the COA.
- TLC — rapid identity confirmation and screening of adulteration.
- GC — residual solvent analysis.
- ICP-MS / AAS — heavy metal quantification at ppm and sub-ppm levels.
- Particle size — sieve or laser-diffraction analysis; mesh size is stated on the COA so your formulation team knows exactly what will disperse.
- Microbiology — total plate count, yeast & mould, and pathogen screening (E. coli, Salmonella, S. aureus) on every production lot.
Chromatograms for the batch are available with the COA, so your laboratory can review the integration rather than taking the figure on trust.
Your own verification is welcome
Our own testing is the routine release gate, and every batch ships with the COA for that lot — drawn from the same material as your goods, not from a catalogue.
Where your qualification file or internal policy calls for an outside laboratory, you are free to have any batch retested by a laboratory of your choice: we supply the retained sample from your batch together with the matching documents. Buyers commonly do this on a first volume order, and we treat it as normal practice rather than an obstacle.
How the production partners are qualified
Production is carried out by extraction facilities in Shaanxi that we work with on an ongoing basis. Before a facility is used for a customer order we confirm the following.
Systems and certification
- GMP-audited production environment
- Food-safety management system (ISO 22000 / HACCP based)
- Documented batch records and raw-material traceability
- In-house QC laboratory with HPLC capability
- Halal certification; Kosher available on request
U.S. market readiness
- FDA food facility registration — in place at our production facilities for exports to the U.S. market
- Documentation prepared to the format a U.S. QA department expects (assay method stated, limits in ppm, declarations separate from the COA)
- Support on the documentation your own regulatory filing may require
We would rather give you an accurate status than an impressive one. If a certificate is not yet in hand, we say so.
Industry recognition
Awards and ratings earned by the production facilities we work with — shared here so you know whose lines your ingredients come from.
National High-Tech Enterprise
Certified for consecutive years by the provincial science authority.
Industry association awards
2017 Premium Supplier Award and the 2019–2020 Technology Innovation Award, Shaanxi plant extract industry.
AAA credit ratings
China Quality Credit AAA enterprise and Shaanxi Province AAA Credit Rating Unit.
Export filing
Registered export food-production enterprise — documentation accepted by customs on every shipment.
Industry recognition
Awards and ratings earned by the production facilities we work with — shared here so you know whose lines your ingredients come from.
National High-Tech Enterprise
Certified for consecutive years by the provincial science authority.
Industry association awards
2017 Premium Supplier Award and the 2019–2020 Technology Innovation Award, Shaanxi plant extract industry.
AAA credit ratings
China Quality Credit AAA enterprise and Shaanxi Province AAA Credit Rating Unit.
Export filing
Registered export food-production enterprise — documentation accepted by customs on every shipment.
Documentation that ships with every order
Quality documents
- Certificate of Analysis (batch specific)
- HPLC chromatograms
- Pre-shipment sample retained and dispatched
Safety & declarations
- MSDS / SDS
- Allergen statement
- Non-GMO statement
- Statement on irradiation and ETO treatment
Trade documents
- Commercial invoice
- Packing list
- Certificate of origin
- Bill of lading / airway bill
If something is out of specification
It happens in this industry, and how a supplier handles it tells you more than their COA does. Our position is straightforward:
- If the pre-shipment sample fails your specification, we tell you before the goods move. You are not asked to accept a known deviation.
- If a lot fails our internal release test, it is not shipped. We will offer a re-production date rather than a discount on out-of-spec material.
- If material arrives and your laboratory finds a genuine specification failure, we will review the results with you against the retained sample and replace or credit the affected quantity.
Claims are handled against the retained sample from your lot, which is why we keep one for every shipment.
Quality questions buyers ask
Can I see a COA before ordering?
Yes. Send us the product and grade and we will provide a representative COA from a recent lot, plus the specification sheet. A batch-specific COA is issued for the lot that actually ships to you.
Will you test against my specification, not just yours?
Yes. If you have an internal specification — different assay range, tighter heavy metal limits, a specific mesh — send it to us and we will confirm whether the production partner can meet it before quoting. We would rather decline than ship a near miss.
Do you provide samples for our own laboratory testing?
Yes, and we encourage it. Sample quantities are available with the matching test data, so your laboratory can verify identity and assay before you place an order.
What is the status of FDA registration?
FDA food facility registration is in place at our production facilities. Registration details are included in your order file — just ask.
How long are samples and records kept?
A retained sample of each shipped lot is kept for the declared shelf life of the product, and batch records are archived for the same period, so a query raised a year later can still be investigated properly.
Need a specification reviewed?
Send us your specification sheet or the COA you are currently working to, and we will tell you whether we can match it and what it would cost.