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Understanding a test result should not require a background in analytical chemistry. This policy explains how Glacier Pure Compounds shares laboratory results, what the numbers mean and how to connect them to your order.
What is a certificate of analysis?
A certificate of analysis, usually shortened to COA, is a laboratory report about a sample that was tested. It records the tests performed, the methods used and the results. For peptides, those results may include evidence of identity, purity and the amount of peptide present.
A batch is material made together in a production run. GPC assigns a lot number to connect material from a batch with its labels, order records and published results. A COA provides evidence about the tested sample and the batch it represents; it is not a separate test of every vial.
Where GPC’s published results come from
The batch results on GPC’s lot pages are copied from certificates issued by analytical laboratories engaged by the manufacturer. The manufacturer arranged that testing; GPC did not. We publish the reported analytical values and stated methods in a consistent results table, including component results for blends when supplied with the report. The laboratory and report date identify the source of the results.
If GPC arranges additional testing and a certificate is available, it is identified separately on the relevant lot page. GPC-arranged testing is not available for every product. Customer-submitted results are also presented separately so you can distinguish the different sources of evidence.
Understanding the main testing terms
These terms answer different questions. Read each result with its method and unit of measurement.
- Identity: evidence that the sample is consistent with the named peptide. Mass confirmation checks whether the measured molecular mass matches what is expected. That is useful evidence, but a matching mass alone does not establish every detail of a peptide’s structure.
- Purity: a result describing how much of the detected signal is attributed to the peptide or specified components under the test conditions. HPLC, short for high-performance liquid chromatography, separates components before measuring them. The reported percentage depends on the method and what it detects.
- Chromatogram: the graph produced by a chromatography test. Its peaks show signals from components separated during the analysis. Read it alongside the laboratory’s results and method.
- Net peptide content: the measured amount of peptide, often reported in milligrams (mg). This differs from the total weight of dried powder, which can also include water, salts or other material.
- Additional tests: analyses for particular substances, such as bacterial endotoxins or metals. These answer separate questions from identity, purity and net content. A test that is not shown should not be assumed to have passed.
How purity differs from the amount in a vial
A result of 99.00% chromatographic purity does not, by itself, tell you how many milligrams of peptide are in a vial. Purity and net content are different measurements. For example, a vial labelled 10 mg needs an appropriate content measurement to establish its peptide amount; the purity percentage alone cannot confirm that amount.
For a blend containing more than one peptide, the overall purity and stated mixing ratio do not establish the measured amount or individual purity of each component. Look for results that specifically address the component you need to assess.
Match the results to your GPC lot
Start with the GPC lot number on the vial label, then compare it with your order record and the corresponding lot page. This number connects the material you received with its published batch results. A report for a different batch is not evidence for your vial.
For matching public COAs on COA Coalition, GPC uses the source’s BATCH / SEARCH CODE as the catalog lot number and links the verification page and source PDF as GPC supply-chain test results. Depending on the laboratory, this is labelled Search Code, Web Verification Code, or Batch / Access Code. A separate supplier lot or report number may differ; it is retained as source information and is not substituted for the verification code. Existing results without a matching public COA retain their lot numbers and evidence. If a label, order record or result does not appear to match, contact us before using the material so we can help resolve it.
GPC’s 99.00% acceptance standard
GPC reviews the laboratory-issued batch results before accepting inventory. The reported purity must meet the 99.00% acceptance standard; a batch below that standard is not added to inventory. This is a manual review of the reported batch evidence, not a claim that GPC has separately tested every vial.
Where a certificate reports the labelled compound’s content and total chromatographic purity separately, the total chromatographic purity is the acceptance figure. Both values are shown in the published analytical table. The 99.00% inventory threshold matches the purity threshold used by the GPC Verification Program. Batch and vial test results can differ. The separate below-99.00% refund criterion for customer-arranged testing is governed by the GPC Verification Program Terms.
What a COA can and cannot tell you
A COA is a useful record of a sample at the time it was tested. It cannot show everything that happened to a vial afterward. Production and filling differences, freeze-drying, moisture, temperature, light, transport, storage and handling can affect later measurements or appearance. A result from one vial also does not guarantee the same result in untested vials.
A purity result alone does not establish sterility, the absence of every contaminant, safety or suitability for a particular experiment. A COA is not a use protocol or regulatory authorization, and does not establish suitability for human, veterinary, therapeutic, diagnostic or clinical use. These limits do not remove the product-identity warranty in the Terms or any mandatory legal rights.
A COA also does not automatically make a product a certified reference material, meaning a material with formally established measurement values and supporting documentation. If your work requires calibration, precise quantitative controls or regulated product release, your laboratory must establish suitability, measurement reliability, consistency between samples and stability for that method. The Research Use Policy explains permitted analytical uses and their limits.
Testing a vial you receive
Testing a vial from your own order gives you more direct information about the material you received. It complements the published batch results and can help answer questions about that sample. To be considered for GPC credit or a program refund, testing must meet the pre-approval, evidence and validation requirements of the GPC Verification Program Terms.
Arrange written approval with GPC before commissioning testing. The program terms explain eligible purchases, approved laboratories, required documents, time limits and how results are reviewed.
- For an eligible 10-vial research-kit purchase, each pre-approved tested vial is reimbursed as account credit. Approved laboratory fees for identity, net content and purity are also credited to the account. Account credit is applied to a future order; it is not a cash reimbursement.
- For agreed in-house testing, the credit covers the eligible vial only.
- A qualifying failed result from an approved third-party laboratory can lead to an Interac refund for the affected product and fill amount on the original order, rather than an additional vial credit. This includes qualifying failures for identity, net content or purity below 99.00%, and qualifying optional tests such as endotoxins or heavy metals. The program terms determine eligibility and the refund; the purity threshold is a program criterion, not a guarantee about every vial.
How customer results are shared
When a customer submits a validated result and authorizes its use under the Verification Program Terms, GPC may share it on the relevant lot page. The published verification identifies the laboratory, the month of the result and the laboratory’s public verification link.
GPC does not publicly identify the customer without permission or another lawful basis. Submitted evidence files remain in controlled storage and are not published as customer-uploaded files.
If a lot page has no published results
An empty results section means no batch results have been published there. It does not tell you whether the material passed or failed a test, or whether a particular test was performed. GPC does not offer a fill amount for sale until publishable batch results exist. If you cannot find the results for your lot, contact us and we can help locate the relevant information.
Keeping records and correcting information
GPC keeps COA files in controlled storage and records when documents are added, replaced or delivered. If a document is corrected, the earlier history is retained so changes can be traced.
If you notice an unclear result or a possible error, please contact orders@glacierpurecompounds.com with the GPC lot number and, if you have ordered, your order number. We can help you find the corresponding results and explain how to read the information shown.
