Research-grade peptides demand absolute clarity.
At Astramide, every product we sell undergoes rigorous third-party laboratory testing for purity verification and quality assurance. Test results are published directly on every product page and in the public Lab Results archive. The COA travels with the vial.
This is not standard in the industry. Most peptide suppliers rely on in-house testing claims, manufacturer-supplied certificates, or unverified purity statements. We do not. Our entire model is built on the assumption that the buyer should be able to verify every claim independently, without our help.
Radical transparency over opacity.
We test our own products. So does every other peptide supplier. The difference is what we do with the results.
Hidden testing
- ✕Test in-house, but keep results secret or share them only with select customers
- ✕Publish unverified claims: "99% pure" with no supporting documentation
- ✕Hide testing methodology: proprietary protocols customers can't verify
- ✕No verification pathway: customers must trust claims blindly
- ✕Hard to audit: testing-lab contact information unavailable or withheld
Published & verifiable
- ✓Test every lot: HPLC for purity, mass spectrometry for identity, net content per vial, and endotoxin by LAL
- ✓Publish complete Certificates of Analysis: not summaries, the actual COAs
- ✓Name the testing laboratory: every COA identifies the independent US lab that ran it
- ✓Encourage customer verification: each COA carries its lab's contact details
- ✓Show our work: purity %, batch numbers, methods, test dates, analyst signatures
Five steps. One chain of evidence.
Every batch we ship has been through this process. Every result is documented in the Certificate of Analysis that travels with the vial.
Acquisition & Preparation
Representative sample drawn from the batch. Unique batch number assigned. Chain-of-custody documented from supplier to lab.
Purity Quantification
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography. Measures the percentage of intact, target peptide in the sample. The primary purity metric.
Identity Confirmation
Mass Spectrometry. Confirms the molecular weight matches the target peptide's theoretical mass. Identity, not just purity.
Net Content & Endotoxin
Net peptide content measured per vial by HPLC-UV-MS and published exactly as reported. Bacterial endotoxin by LAL to USP <85>. Appearance recorded where the laboratory reports it.
Certificate of Analysis
The independent lab generates the COA. We publish it on the product page and in the Lab Results archive. The receipt for every claim.
HPLC measures purity.
Mass spec confirms identity.
Together, they provide complete quality verification: your peptide is both pure AND correct. Each batch is run through both before release. HPLC vs mass spectrometry, explained with a real lot.
High-Performance Liquid Chromatography.
HPLC is the gold standard for peptide purity verification. It is the primary method used to measure what percentage of your sample is intact, target peptide.
- The peptide sample is dissolved and injected into the HPLC system
- A liquid mobile phase carries the sample through a stationary-phase column
- Different compounds separate from one another based on their chemical properties
- A detector measures each compound as it elutes. The output is a chromatogram, a graph of every compound present and how much of each
- Peptide purity percentage: exactly how much of the sample is the desired, intact peptide
- Related peptide impurities: slightly modified versions present (oxidized, truncated, etc.)
- Degradation products: evidence of damage from heat, light, or chemical breakdown
- Foreign contaminants: compounds that should not be present
- Batch consistency: whether all samples in the batch meet the specification
Mass Spectrometry.
Mass spectrometry is the confirmatory test that verifies the identity of your peptide. While HPLC tells us how pure the sample is, mass spectrometry tells us we have the correct compound.
- The peptide sample is ionized, given an electrical charge
- The resulting ions are separated based on their mass-to-charge ratio
- A detector measures the mass of each ion individually
- The output is a mass spectrum: peaks showing the molecular weights present in the sample
- Correct molecular weight: observed mass matches the peptide's theoretical mass within ±1–2 Da tolerance
- Identity verification: the compound is the peptide it claims to be, not a similar substance
- No mislabeled compounds: rules out batch mix-ups or substitution errors
- Structural integrity: indicates the peptide chain is intact and not degraded
HPLC alone tells you purity, but not identity. Mass spec alone tells you identity, but not purity. Run together, they make the COA's claims complete.
Tells us: how pure (e.g. 99.7%)
Doesn't tell us: which compound
Tells us: which compound (correct molecular weight)
Doesn't tell us: how pure
What else appears on the certificate.
Beyond purity and identity, every certificate reports the net peptide content measured in the vial and, on current lots, bacterial endotoxin. Where the laboratory also records appearance, that appears too. Nothing in this section is a claim. Each item is a row you can find on the published certificate for any lot.
Endotoxin (LAL)
USP <85>Bacterial endotoxin presence using Limulus amebocyte lysate testing.
Endotoxin contamination invalidates many downstream protocols. Reported on every current lot. Three early certificates predate its addition to the panel and say so on their face.
Appearance
Visual inspectionPhysical form, colour and cake integrity of the lyophilized material. Typically reported as white lyophilized powder.
Catches handling and fill issues that a chromatogram will not show. Recorded by Freedom Diagnostics on the lots they analyse.
What the current panel does not cover.
Heavy metals by ICP-MS, microbial bioburden and pH stability are not part of the analytical panel at either laboratory today. No Astramide certificate reports them. Where a certificate states a method was not performed, we publish that line unchanged rather than omitting it.
We would rather tell you this here than have you find it by reading the certificates. Every method described on this page can be located on any published Certificate of Analysis. If a method is not on the certificate, it is not on this page.
The COA is the receipt.
Once the lab completes the analytical panel, it generates a formal Certificate of Analysis. We don't file these away. We publish them directly on every product page and in the public Lab Results archive.
- Product name, batch number, and lot identification
- Test date and the name of the independent US lab that performed the analysis
- HPLC purity percentage: primary quality metric
- Molecular weight confirmation via mass spectrometry
- Test methods used and equipment specifications
- Specifications vs. actual results comparison
- Net peptide content, measured and published as reported
- Endotoxin result on current lots, and appearance where the laboratory records it
- Issuing laboratory identification
- Laboratory sign-off
- Laboratory contact information for independent verification
We don't gate access to test results. The Certificate of Analysis is published in three places, all freely accessible:
On the product page
A "Verified Lab Analysis" card displays purity %, batch number, test date, and a download link. Visible without login.
In the Lab Results archive
Every batch ever released. Searchable by the batch number printed on your vial label. Browse the archive
Downloadable as PDF
The complete Certificate of Analysis. Yours to keep, archive, share with your institution, or attach to your research records.
Five steps to verify your specific batch.
Every Certificate of Analysis follows the same structure. Once you know what to look for, verification takes about ninety seconds. How to read a peptide COA, step by step.
Verify the batch number
The batch number printed on your vial must match the batch number on the COA. This confirms you received the exact batch that was tested. If they differ, contact us immediately. That should never happen.
Read the HPLC purity result
Look for the line labeled "HPLC Assay" or "Purity %." Compare the actual result to the specification. If actual is greater than or equal to the specification, the batch meets standards.
Confirm the molecular weight
Look for the line labeled "Molecular Weight" or "Mass Spectrometry." The theoretical MW should match the observed MW within ±1–2 Da. This is the identity confirmation: proof you have the correct compound, not just a pure something.
Review net content and endotoxin
Net peptide content is reported per vial, next to the label claim, exactly as the laboratory measured it. Endotoxin appears under the microbiology heading on current lots. Where a method was not performed, the certificate says so and we publish it that way. Net content is published whether it lands above or below the label claim, so the amount in the vial is never hidden. A lot that fails identity or purity is not released.
Verify lab credentials
The bottom of every COA identifies the independent US laboratory that performed the analysis, along with its contact information. If you want to verify the result independently, you can call the lab and confirm the batch result. We encourage it.
What "99.7% pure" actually means.
When an independent lab reports a peptide as "99.7% pure," that is a precise, lab-verified measurement. The remaining 0.3% is composed of impurities, degradation products, or carrier material. Higher purity means cleaner, more reliable research data.
Research Grade
Exploratory research, proof-of-concept work where small impurity profiles are tolerable. Lowest cost. Most commonly available across the industry.
High Purity
Serious research applications, institutional laboratory use, and protocols where impurity profiles can affect reproducibility. Astramide ships at this grade or higher across the catalog.
Ultra-High Purity
Demanding research applications and publication-quality work. Higher cost. Many Astramide batches naturally test in this range.
When reviewing your COA, you may see references to specific impurity classes. Understanding these helps you interpret results:
Oxidized forms
Exposure to oxygen during synthesis, handling, or storage
Indicates potential storage or supplier-handling issues. Usually low-percent.
Truncated peptides
Incomplete synthesis or partial degradation
Can skew research results if present in high amounts. Watch for >1%.
Related peptides
Similar compounds from synthesis byproducts
Usually minimal impact unless very high. Documented when present.
Residual solvents
Incomplete removal during purification
Safety consideration; analytical labs screen for this. Should be undetectable in the final lyophilized product.
Salts & buffers
Necessary for peptide stability during synthesis
Expected. Documented in the COA as "carrier material" or counted toward the 0.x% non-peptide fraction.
The frameworks our testing methods reference.
Astramide’s testing program references recognized pharmacopeial and regulatory frameworks, even though research-use peptides are not subject to FDA drug-approval review.
Methodological references
- USP (United States Pharmacopeia): recognized analytical methods for compound purity and identity testing
- BP (British Pharmacopoeia): European pharmaceutical standards
- Ph. Eur. (European Pharmacopoeia): international standards for pharmaceutical quality
Independent US laboratory standards
- US-based testing: every batch is analysed by an independent laboratory operating in the United States
- Independent operation: the laboratory is not owned by, or financially aligned with, peptide manufacturers or suppliers
- Multi-supplier testing: our laboratories test for multiple research-supply customers, eliminating single-supplier conflicts of interest
- Direct verification: the issuing laboratory's contact information appears on every COA. You can verify any batch result by contacting the lab named on that certificate
The COA's purity holds only if storage holds.
The purity documented in your Certificate of Analysis applies when the peptide is stored correctly. Improper storage can degrade peptides and reduce purity over time. The guidelines below apply to every product in the catalog.
Lyophilized (powder) form
Reconstituted solution
Frozen (−20°C)
Peptides remain stable in long-term storage.
Refrigerated (2–8°C)
Acceptable for short-term storage; slight degradation over weeks to months.
Room temperature (20–25°C)
Rapid degradation; purity declines within days to weeks.
Heat (>25°C)
Very rapid degradation; structural integrity compromised quickly.
Frequently asked about our testing.
The most common questions about our testing methodology, COA interpretation, and laboratory partnership.
Typically 5–10 business days. HPLC and MS each take one to two days, and endotoxin testing adds time on top. The COA is generated and published before the lot ships, so you receive it with your product.
Reach out to research support with the specific method you need, and we’ll confirm feasibility and turnaround with the testing lab.
Contact us immediately with the batch number. Any confirmed discrepancy is handled directly and the batch is investigated with the lab.
Every batch is tested by an independent US laboratory operating separately from manufacturing. The laboratory that performed the analysis is named on each Certificate of Analysis.
Yes. Every COA lists the issuing laboratory’s direct contact information. You can call and confirm any batch result independently.
Yes, every Certificate of Analysis is available as a downloadable PDF from the product page and the Lab Results archive.
See the “Reading a COA” and “Understanding Purity” sections above for a full field-by-field walkthrough.
Rigorous, independent, publicly verifiable.
Every batch undergoes third-party testing at an independent US laboratory.
Every Certificate of Analysis is published on the product page.
Every purity percentage is lab-verified, never claimed.
The testing laboratory is independent and named.
Every result is downloadable and independently verifiable.
Lots below 98% HPLC purity are rejected and are not released.
Questions about your test results?
If you have questions about testing procedures, how to interpret your COA, what specific results mean for your application, or you need custom testing arrangements, our research support team is the right place to start.