Key takeaways
- A COA is a laboratory report for a specific batch.
- It should name the lab, dates, methods, specifications, results and pass or fail.
- Common tests cover identity, compounds, heavy metals, microbes and pesticides.
- A raw material COA isn’t the same as a finished product COA.
- Check the batch number, date and methods, and ask what a COA covers.
A Certificate of Analysis, or COA, is a laboratory report showing the results of tests on a specific batch of material. For mushroom products, COAs can confirm identity, check for contaminants and measure particular compounds. This guide explains what a COA contains and how to read one sensibly.
Who issues COAs?
COAs may come from a supplier’s own laboratory or from an independent third-party laboratory. Independent testing adds confidence. Some laboratories are accredited to recognised quality standards, such as ISO/IEC 17025, which covers the competence of testing laboratories.
What a COA should include
- Product name and batch or lot number
- Dates: when the sample was received and tested, and when the report was issued
- The laboratory’s name and, ideally, its accreditation
- Each test performed, with the method used
- The specification: the acceptable limit or range for each test
- The result, with units
- A pass or fail, or conformity statement
Common tests on mushroom products
- Identity: confirming the species, by microscopy, chemical profiling or DNA methods.
- Assays: measuring specific compounds, such as beta-glucans. See Beta-Glucan Testing Explained.
- Heavy metals: typically lead, cadmium, mercury and arsenic. See Heavy Metals in Mushrooms.
- Microbiology: total counts, yeasts and moulds, and specific organisms such as E. coli and Salmonella. See Microbial and Contaminant Testing.
- Pesticides, particularly for imported material.
Raw material or finished product?
This is one of the most important questions. A COA for dried mushroom from a supplier tells you about that raw material. It doesn’t automatically tell you about the finished tincture or powder, which has been extracted and formulated. Both kinds are useful, but they answer different questions.
Reading a COA critically
- Does the batch number match? A COA is only relevant to the batch it describes.
- Is it recent? An old certificate may not reflect current stock.
- Are methods stated? “Beta-glucans: 40%” means little without a method.
- Is the laboratory named? An anonymous report is hard to trust.
- Do the results look plausible? Results that match specifications exactly, every time, can be a warning sign.
What a COA doesn’t tell you
A COA confirms what was measured in a batch. It isn’t evidence of effect, and it doesn’t cover anything that wasn’t tested.
Our approach
If you’d like to know what testing covers our tinctures, including whether a certificate relates to raw material or finished product, contact us and we’ll explain.