Identity and adulterant testing

Why identity testing matters

Home tests can’t prove shilajit is genuine, because the properties they test vary naturally and can be imitated; see why home tests can’t prove much. Adulterated or substituted products exist because genuine purified shilajit is costly to produce; see adulterated shilajit. Laboratory identity testing is the only way to check, chemically, whether a sample’s make-up fits what genuine shilajit should contain.

Main approaches

Method details are in laboratory methods.

Marker compounds

Trial reports describe shilajit as containing fulvic acids, dibenzo-alpha-pyrones (DBPs), proteins and minerals.^[1] DBPs are chemically distinctive, which makes them useful as markers, and fulvic acid is the bulk of the humic fraction. Finding expected markers at plausible levels supports identity; their absence, or an unusual profile, raises questions. See dibenzo-alpha-pyrones and fulvic acid.

Adulterant screening

Adulterant screens look for substances that shouldn’t be present, such as added sugars, starches, other resins or undeclared actives. A screen is only as good as the list of substances it covers, so a report saying “no adulterants detected” should state what was looked for. In the wider supplement market, products sold on performance and sexual-health claims are the ones most often screened for undeclared actives; see sport and anti-doping.

The reference problem

Identity testing compares a sample with something. For shilajit, natural variation between deposits makes a single “true” reference difficult, and we are not aware of one universal identity standard used by all laboratories. That means two laboratories may approach identity differently. A good identity result states the method, the reference material and the criteria used to judge a match.

What identity testing can’t do

• Prove safetyA genuine sample can still contain metals; see heavy metals.
• Prove originIdentity and geographic origin are different questions; see origin and composition.
• Detect every adulterantOnly those the method can see or the screen includes.
• Cover other batchesLike any test, it describes the sample tested.

How common is identity testing?

Many consumer reports focus on contaminants and fulvic acid rather than formal identity testing. That isn’t necessarily a red flag, but identity testing adds a layer of assurance, especially for capsules and powders where the material is hidden. A brand that offers identity testing as well as a contaminant panel is going beyond the usual standard.

Batch identity vs chemical identity

There are two meanings of “identity”. Chemical identity asks whether the material is shilajit. Batch identity asks whether your jar is the batch described by the report. During our Nature Elixirs evaluation, our team physically received a jar and checked its product and batch identity against the available evidence for batch SJ2509, tested by AGROLAB LUFA.^[2] Both kinds of identity matter: one confirms the material, the other confirms the link to the evidence. Nature Elixirs is a brand evaluated by Best Shilajit UK. Read our evaluation to see the evidence and documentation we reviewed.

What to ask a brand

1. Has identity testing been done?On which batch?
2. Which method and reference?FTIR, HPLC markers or another approach.
3. Which adulterants were screened?A list, not just “none”.
4. Is it alongside a contaminant panel?Identity alone isn’t enough.

Putting it into practice

When choosing capsules or powder, where you can’t see the material, ask whether identity testing was done and which adulterants were screened. For resin, it is still a valuable extra alongside the contaminant panel.

In short

Identity testing tells you whether the material is shilajit; contaminant testing tells you whether it is clean. A careful buyer looks for both, linked to the batch in the jar.

The bottom line

Identity and adulterant testing are the laboratory answer to the question home tests can’t settle: is this genuine shilajit? They are strongest when the method, reference and screen list are stated and linked to your batch, and they should always sit alongside contaminant testing.

Related reading