Do you know that spiking and adulteration is common especially for high cost product? How do you prevent unscrupulous suppliers from selling substandard products?

First, let us define what is the definition of ADULTERATION: Reducing the purity of an article by the addition of a foreign or inferior substance Criteria: Poisonous and deleterious Added substances May render injurious to health If any of your raw materials meet the above criteria you may have an adulterated product as define by the Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906. It is the responsibility of the manufacturers to ensure that all the raw materials used are unadulterated. Adulteration occurs when the producer has determined that the extract is too low in its active content. Ginkgo Biloba and Chondroitin Sulfate are some example of adulterated products in the market. Ginkgo Biloba Adulteration with inexpensive flavonol glycosides (i.e. rutin) is common. Ginkgo extracts with rutin is very difficult to detect using the established hydrolysis method for measuring total flavonol glycosides. If the hydrolysis method is used, the adulteration becomes less evident due to the contribution of quercetin from the other endogenous quercetin glycosides present. Quality control based on the typical measurement of flavonol aglycones derived from acid hydrolysis of standardized extracts is not sufficient to discover adulteration with inexpensive materials. It is imperative that manufacturers verify the certificates of analysis provided by their suppliers.

What is the difference between base, hydrochloride (HCL) and acetyl?

Base is the pure form of the compound. In some instances the pure form of a compound is unstable or has undesirable characteristics. The addition of HCL or acetyl group can make the compound more functional by changing physical characteristics. For example HCl’s are typically more water soluble than their base counterparts.

What does L, D or DL mean?

L is levorotatory (Latin for left) and D is Dextrorotatory (Latin for right). These designations depict the direction of a beam of plane-polarized light through a sample of the product. Compounds with the same molecular weight and structure differing by only D or L are optical isomers. DL forms are a racemic mixture (50 % D, 50% L) of the product.

Does it always mean Natural or Synthetic?

In most cases L is the natural form, but that is not always true.

What does FCC Mean?

FCC stands for food chemicals codex. The FCC list many (but not all) common food additives or ingredients. Each compound in the FCC has its own monograph. Each monograph list all test specifications that must be met in order for the product to be designated FCC grade. FCC web address: http://www.iom.edu/iom/iomhome.nsf/Pages/Food+Chemicals+Codex

What does USP mean?

United States Pharmacopeia (USP) contains legally recognized standards of identity, strength, quality, purity, packaging, storage, and labeling for active ingredients and other therapeutic products, including nutritionals and dietary supplements.

What does NF mean?

The NF (National Formulary) includes standards for excipients, botanicals and other "non-drug" ingredients used in drug preparations.

How do I know if a product is water or oil soluble?

References such as the Merck Index, USP, or FCC often indicate solubility of a product. If you have trouble locating the information, please contact our technical support.

How is the product manufactured?

Our products are produced by extraction with GMP facilities. Please contact technical services to determine the type of process used. Please note that in rare circumstances, the production process is proprietary.

Can I call the product natural?

The laws about natural and synthetic are vague. In most cases, it is left open for interpretation. One should be cautious when claiming a product is natural, especially when a regulatory agency or chemical society claiming it is synthetic has made a previous ruling.

How many pounds of material are in the 5 gallon drum of liquid color?

It depends upon the amount of solids in the color. Very roughly you can figure that there are 8 pounds in a gallon, so 5 gallons would be 40 pounds plus the amount of solid which is typically small.

What is the conversion of pounds to kilos and kilos to pounds?

To get from pounds to kilos multiply by 0.45359237. To get from kilos to pounds multiply by 2.2046226218487756. A good resource is http://www.admiralmetals.com/metric_cov.htm

Can I get a spec sheet faxed to me?

Sure, but check our website and you should find the specification you need.