The Certificate of Analysis (COA) is the single most important document in a psyllium husk import transaction. It tells you exactly what is in the product, verifies it meets your specifications, and provides the documentation your regulatory team needs. Here's how to read one correctly.
What Is a COA?
A COA is a document issued by a qualified laboratory that certifies the test results for a specific batch of product. A credible COA will show: product name, batch number, manufacturing date, test methods, results, and pass/fail status against specifications.
Key Parameters to Check
Purity / Swelling Factor: This is the most critical parameter for psyllium husk. The swelling factor (swelling volume in ml/g) measures how much water the psyllium absorbs — this is what makes it effective as a dietary fiber supplement. USP specifies: not less than 9 ml/g for psyllium husk powder and not less than 40 ml/g for whole psyllium husk. Higher is better.
Moisture Content: Should be ≤10%. High moisture indicates improper drying or storage, which leads to caking, degradation, and microbial risk.
Total Ash: Should be ≤4.0%. High ash indicates contamination with sand or soil — a sign of poor quality raw material.
Acid Insoluble Ash: Should be ≤1.0%. This measures silica/sand content specifically. Values above 1% indicate significant contamination.
Heavy Metals: EU regulations (EC 1881/2006) specify maximum limits for Lead (≤0.1 mg/kg for supplements), Cadmium (≤0.05 mg/kg), Mercury (≤0.1 mg/kg), Arsenic (≤0.1 mg/kg). A COA must show results below these limits.
Microbiology: Essential parameters include Total Plate Count (≤100,000 CFU/g for food grade), Yeast & Mold (≤1,000 CFU/g), E. coli (absent in 1g), Salmonella (absent in 25g). Pharmaceutical grade has stricter limits.
Pesticide Residues: EU requires comprehensive pesticide screening per Regulation (EC) 396/2005. Japan requires testing against the Japan Positive List. US buyers should verify against EPA/FDA limits.
What to Watch For — Red Flags
(1) COA from the supplier's own lab without third-party verification — always request third-party lab COA for first orders, (2) Missing parameters — a COA missing heavy metals or pesticide data is incomplete, (3) No batch number — batch-specific COA is essential; generic "spec sheet" COAs are inadequate, (4) Old dates — COA should be from the specific batch you're ordering, not a historical sample.
Third-Party vs. In-House COA
For first orders, always request both the in-house COA (from the supplier's lab) and a third-party COA from an accredited external laboratory (SGS, Intertek, Bureau Veritas, or equivalent). This eliminates any conflict of interest.
At Amar Herbal Origins, we provide in-house COA with every shipment and can arrange third-party testing through accredited labs at the buyer's request.
Amar Herbal Origins — Gujarat's trusted psyllium husk exporter. Get pricing, samples, and full COA documentation within 24 hours.