A certificate of analysis (COA) should be the beginning of a supplement brand’s quality verification process, not the end, according to Nour Abochama, Vice President of Operations at Qalitex Laboratories.
“A COA could mean a lot of different meanings,” she said. “It’s always the start of our process. It’s not the end of our process.”
Abochama said brands should independently verify supplier COAs and consider factors like microbiology, heavy metals, pesticides and residual solvents, white also confirming that finished products contain what is claimed on the label.
Sampling can also significantly impact results, particularly for liquids, powders and other products where active ingredients may not be evenly distributed.
“Sampling is a big part of the analytical process,” she said, adding that brands should consider taking multiple samples from different points in a production run to ensure results are representative.”
Finished product testing is especially important, Abochama said, because manufacturing processes can affect the final concentration of an ingredient.
We need to make sure that what we put in the beginning is what we get at the end,” she said.
That issue is becoming increasingly relevant as major marketplaces introduce greater scrutiny. Abochama pointed to Amazon’s testing requirements as part of a broader shift toward independent verification.
“What Amazon is doing is making us see in the regulatory and in our environment a clear shift toward more independent verification and greater accountability for finished products,” she said.
For brands selecting suppliers and testing labs, Abochama recommends verifying accreditations, maintaining traceability and periodically comparing results and raw data.
Ultimately, Abochama said quality systems need to be reassessed whenever a key supplier, manufacturing process or testing lab changes.
To hear more on supplement testing, COAs and the growing role of marketplace verification, listen to the NutraCast above or on your preferred podcast platform.
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