Identity and adulterant testing
Identity testing checks whether a sample’s composition is consistent with genuine shilajit, while adulterant testing screens for substances that shouldn’t be there. Laboratories use chemical fingerprinting methods such as FTIR spectroscopy and chromatography to compare a sample with reference material and to look for marker compounds such as fulvic acid and dibenzo-alpha-pyrones. There is no single universal identity standard for shilajit, so results are strongest when the method and reference are stated and the test is linked to your batch.
Lab accreditation: ISO/IEC 17025 and UKAS
ISO/IEC 17025 is the international standard for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. Accreditation to it means an independent body has assessed a laboratory’s methods, quality control and staff for specific tests. In the UK, the national accreditation body is UKAS; other countries have their own, such as DAkkS in Germany. Accreditation applies to particular tests, so check that a laboratory is accredited for the tests on your shilajit report, not just in general.
How to read a Shilajit COA, line by line
To read a shilajit certificate of analysis (COA) line by line, start with the laboratory and its accreditation, then confirm the batch and sample details match your jar. Next, check each test result with its units, detection limit and any measurement uncertainty, and compare metals with GB supplement limits. Finally, read the remarks, which often contain important notes. A good COA is batch-specific, numerical, dated and from an accredited laboratory.
ICP-MS explained
ICP-MS, or inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, is the laboratory method most often used to measure metals and other elements in shilajit. The sample is digested in acid, passed into a plasma at thousands of degrees that turns elements into charged atoms, and a mass spectrometer counts them by mass. It can measure many elements at very low levels in one run. It measures total elements, so it doesn’t distinguish forms such as inorganic arsenic without extra techniques.
Fulvic acid testing: why percentages don’t compare
Fulvic acid percentages on shilajit labels and reports often can’t be compared, because fulvic acid is defined by the laboratory method used to separate it rather than by a single chemical formula. Different methods separate and quantify the fraction differently, and results may be on an as-sold or dry-weight basis. A fulvic acid figure is only comparable with another figure measured by the same method, on the same basis.
Heavy-metal testing for Shilajit
Heavy-metal testing for shilajit should cover at least lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic, usually measured by ICP-MS on a sample of the finished batch, with results in mg/kg as sold, detection limits and measurement uncertainty. Results are compared with GB maximum levels for supplements: 3.0 mg/kg for lead, 1.0 for cadmium and 0.1 for mercury. Thorough testing may add inorganic arsenic and thallium.
How to ask a brand for its COA (with email template)
To ask a brand for its certificate of analysis (COA), email or message them with the product name and the batch number on your jar, and ask for the report for that batch. Request the core tests, namely lead, cadmium, mercury, arsenic and microbiology, plus any broader testing, and ask which laboratory did the work and whether it is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited. A careful brand will reply promptly with a batch-specific report. A template you can copy is below.
Batch-specific vs generic COAs
A batch-specific certificate of analysis (COA) reports test results for the particular production batch you are buying, identified by batch number. A generic COA is a single report used to represent a product in general, often for months or years and across many batches. Because shilajit varies from batch to batch, only a batch-specific COA can tell you what is in your jar. A generic COA shows that a brand tested something once.
Detection limits and “not detected” results
A detection limit is the lowest level a laboratory method can reliably detect, and “not detected” means a substance wasn’t found above that level. It doesn’t mean zero. A “not detected” result is only reassuring if the detection limit is well below the relevant legal limit. For example, a mercury result of “less than 0.01 mg/kg” is meaningful against the GB limit of 0.1 mg/kg, while “less than 0.5 mg/kg” is not. Always check that the detection limit is stated.
Batch numbers and testing dates
A batch number identifies one production run of a shilajit product, and it is the link between the jar you hold and the laboratory report that describes it. Testing dates tell you when the sample was received and analysed. A useful report names the batch, matches the number printed on your jar, and is dated around the time that batch was produced. A report without a batch number, or for a different batch, can’t tell you what is in your jar.