How to read a peptide lab report

Five details to check first

1. Document and laboratory. Read the title printed on the file. A certificate of analysis, often shortened to COA, and an individual analytical report may contain different information. Look for the issuing laboratory and a report number or verification route.
2. Sample, product and lot. Compare the compound name, strength or blend, sample identifier and any lot number with the item you are checking. Matching names alone do not establish a batch match. If the report has only a sample number, ask how that sample connects to the product lot.
3. Dates. Look for sample receipt, testing and report dates, where provided. A file’s upload date is not necessarily its testing date.
4. Method and units. Read the test method beside the result. A percentage, a mass in milligrams and a measured molecular mass answer different questions. Note the stated specification or acceptance limit, if one is provided.
5. Scope and gaps. Check which tests are included and which are absent. Keep the full report, including footnotes and additional pages, with your notes.

What the common results mean

HPLC purity or chromatographic area

HPLC separates components under a specified method. A UV peak-area percentage describes the detected signal assigned to the target peak relative to the integrated signal. It is not automatically the percentage of the entire vial’s weight that is the desired peptide. Water and counterions can affect net peptide content without appearing in that purity number. Bachem explains purity and peptide content.

Mass spectrometry and identity

Mass spectrometry adds molecular-mass information to chromatography and can help investigate identity and impurities. Read the actual method and interpretation; a mass result should not be treated as proof of every possible structural detail. Thermo Fisher explains the complementary measurements.

Content, sterility and endotoxin

A content or assay result needs its own method and units. Sterility and endotoxin are separate test categories, so do not infer either from an HPLC purity result. Eurofins lists these distinct testing categories (PDF).

A laboratory result describes the submitted sample within the scope of the tests performed. It does not by itself demonstrate a health benefit or a treatment outcome.

Using the SRP library

In our Lab Reports & COAs library, linked compound names open the posted documents. An unlinked name means there is no report link listed for that entry. Multiple documents under one name may refer to different samples, dates or specifications; read each document before comparing them.

If a batch match or test is missing, ask us for clarification instead of filling in the gap. This is a useful message to send:

I’m checking [compound and strength], lot [number if shown]. Which report applies to this lot? Please confirm the sample connection, tests performed and any results that are not included.

For testing projects still underway, visit Research Trials. For published scientific literature, explore the Research Library.

Source links explain analytical methods. They do not certify SRP products or indicate an endorsement of SRP.