COA checklist · current lot vs stock spec · research use
The current-lot COA checklist: does the paper match the vial?
A certificate of analysis is only worth anything if it describes the lot in your hand — not a generic stock spec a vendor reuses for every batch. Most peptide buyers never check, and that is exactly where weak suppliers hide. This is the practical checklist: the six things a real, current-lot release sheet has to show, and the red flags that mean the document and the vial were never connected. Use it on any vendor, including Titan. Research use only — none of this is dosing or human-use guidance.
1. The lot/batch number matches the vial
This is the whole game. The COA must carry a lot or batch code, and that code must match the one printed on the vial you received. If the document shows no lot number, or a number that doesn't match, you are looking at a stock spec — a marketing sheet, not a release sheet. A real release sheet is generated for one specific batch and references it explicitly.
Independent COA verification →2. HPLC purity, with a real number
High-performance liquid chromatography is the standard purity assay. The COA should state an HPLC purity figure (e.g. ≥99%) for that lot — not a vague 'high purity' claim and not a round number with no method behind it. A genuine sheet usually shows the chromatogram or at least the measured percentage and the column/method used.
How purity is measured →3. Mass-spec identity confirmation
Purity tells you how much of the sample is one compound; mass spectrometry tells you it's the right compound. A complete release sheet confirms identity by MS — the measured molecular mass against the expected mass for the peptide. Purity without an identity check can describe a very pure batch of the wrong molecule.
Identity vs purity →4. A test date that is recent and lot-specific
The analysis should be dated, and the date should sit near the batch's production — not years old and not absent. A single undated COA reused across many shipments is a classic recycled-spec tell. The date is how you know the testing was done on this production run, not borrowed from an old one.
Full supplier checklist →5. The method and the lab are named
A trustworthy sheet says how the result was obtained — the assay, the instrument or method reference, and who ran it. 'Tested' with no method, no instrument, and no signatory is unverifiable by design. You don't need to be a chemist; you need the document to name its own evidence so a third party could, in principle, reproduce it.
What a verified supplier shows →6. The red flags that fail the whole sheet
Walk away when: no lot number, or one that doesn't match the vial; purity stated as a slogan instead of a measured figure; no identity/MS section; no date; a 'COA' that is really a product photo or a generic brand template. Any one of these means the paper can't be tied to your batch — which is the same as having no COA at all.
Spot a fake COA →The detail, in plain terms
Current-lot release sheet vs recycled stock spec.
The single distinction that matters: a release sheet is generated for one batch and references that batch's code; a stock spec is one document reused for everything. Run every COA — Titan's included — through these checks before you trust it.
- Lot/batch code
- Present on the sheet AND matches the vial. Missing or mismatched = stock spec.
- Purity
- Measured HPLC figure (e.g. ≥99%), ideally with chromatogram — not a slogan.
- Identity
- Mass-spec confirmation of the molecule, not just a purity percentage.
- Test date
- Recent and tied to the production run, not undated or years old.
- Method + source
- Assay, instrument/method reference, and who performed it are named.
- Titan's standard
- Lot-matched release sheet referenced to the vial's code, available on request.
Questions researchers ask
Before you order.
- What is the difference between a COA and a stock spec?
- A certificate of analysis (release sheet) is generated for a specific production lot and references that lot's batch code, with the measured purity, identity, test date, and method for that batch. A stock spec is a single generic document reused across every shipment, usually with no lot number or an unmatched one. The first describes the vial you actually received; the second describes an idea of the product. Only the lot-matched version is meaningful.
- How do I check that a COA matches my vial?
- Find the lot or batch number printed on the vial and confirm the exact same code appears on the certificate of analysis. If the COA has no lot number, or a different one, the document was not generated for your batch and can't verify it. This single check — matching the code on the paper to the code on the glass — catches most recycled-spec COAs.
- What purity number should a peptide COA show?
- It should show a measured HPLC purity figure for that lot — commonly a target of ≥99% for research-grade peptides — rather than a vague 'high purity' claim. A complete sheet pairs the purity number with mass-spec identity confirmation, so you know the sample is both pure and the correct compound. A round number with no method named is weaker evidence than a stated assay and, ideally, a chromatogram.
- Does Titan provide a current-lot COA?
- Titan supplies a lot-matched release sheet referenced to the code on the vial, available on request, covering HPLC purity and mass-spec identity for the batch. Titan does not publish a falsified or third-party-accredited COA it does not hold — the honest position is a real in-house release sheet tied to your lot, not a borrowed certificate. Use the checklist on this page to verify it like you would any vendor.
- Is a COA proof a peptide is safe to use?
- No. A COA documents purity and identity of a research reagent for laboratory context — it is not a safety, efficacy, or human-use clearance. Peptides are supplied strictly for in-vitro laboratory work, not for human or animal consumption. The checklist here is about whether the paperwork honestly describes the batch, nothing more.