How to Read a Urolithin A Certificate of Analysis

A certificate of analysis is useful when you can connect its result to the question you are asking.

You open a supplement's lab report and see a percentage, an abbreviation, and a lot number. It looks precise. But does it tell you what's in the capsules—or just what was in the sample sent to the lab?

To read a Urolithin A certificate of analysis, identify the sample and lot first. Then read the test, method, specification, result, and units together. Finally, check which questions the document leaves unanswered. This guide uses the certificate linked on Everas's testing page as a worked example.

Published by Everas. Document reviewed September 14, 2026. This is an explanation of a laboratory report, not an independent certification of the product.

What is a certificate of analysis?

A certificate of analysis, usually shortened to COA, records analytical results for an identified sample. Depending on its scope, a report may cover identity, ingredient concentration, finished-product content, or particular contaminants. Read the actual test rows to see which of those it addresses.

Think of a COA as a set of answers to specific questions. If the report answers “How much Urolithin A was measured in this sample?”, that is valuable. It does not automatically answer “How much is in each finished capsule?” or “Were lead and microbes tested?”

Keep the Everas test-results page open as you read. It links the complete original document so you can check the details yourself.

The Everas report: a worked example

The linked certificate was issued by Summit Nutritional Laboratories. The table below summarizes its identifying fields and analytical result; it is not a reproduction of the certificate.

Source: complete Summit Nutritional Laboratories certificate, PDF. The report says its results apply to the items tested.

Step 1: Identify what went into the lab

Before looking at the biggest number, read the sample description. A raw ingredient, a finished capsule, and a mixture containing several ingredients are different samples. The interpretation depends on which one was analyzed.

Look for the lot number as well. A lot identifies material associated with a production batch; it is not interchangeable with the laboratory's report number. An ingredient lot and the finished pouch lot may also have different identifiers. If your package uses a different number, ask the brand to explain the connection.

The customer field identifies the laboratory's customer. It need not be the retail brand name, so a supplier name alone does not invalidate a report. It does mean the document, by itself, may not establish the whole route from tested material to the pouch you received.

Useful question: “What was the tested sample, and how does its lot connect to my finished product?”

Step 2: Read the result with its units

A number without units is an incomplete answer. For the Everas example, g/100 g expresses grams of the measured substance per 100 grams of tested material. It is a mass percentage: 99.733 g/100 g corresponds to 99.733% by weight.

That does not mean the laboratory necessarily tested a 100-gram portion. The unit describes how the concentration is expressed. It also does not mean each capsule contains 99.733mg.

A statement such as “not detected in 10 g” answers a different question from a microbial count per gram. Read the test description and its reporting basis rather than treating every result as a percentage.

Step 3: Understand what HPLC contributes

HPLC stands for high-performance liquid chromatography. It separates compounds in a liquid sample; suitable methods can be used to identify or quantify the compounds of interest. Agilent's HPLC explanation describes the underlying technique.

The method name does not mean “tested for everything.” The analyte—the substance being measured—and the method's purpose still matter. A Urolithin A assay is not automatically a screen for every contaminant that could be present.

Also check the reporting basis before comparing two percentages. A result expressed as mass per mass should not automatically be treated as interchangeable with a chromatographic peak-area percentage. If the basis is unclear, ask the laboratory or brand to explain it.

Useful question: “What does this percentage measure, and on what basis is it reported?”

Step 4: Compare the result with the specification

The specification is the criterion the result is being compared against. Read the direction of the limit: “greater than” means something different from “less than,” and a permitted range has both a lower and an upper boundary.

In the worked example, the reported result is above the stated minimum. That supports the narrow conclusion that the sample meets the listed concentration specification.

A passing result does not create a claim about tests that are absent. Likewise, a precise number does not tell you its measurement uncertainty unless the report supplies that information. Avoid using tiny differences between separate reports to rank brands without understanding the methods and reporting conditions.

Step 5: Separate ingredient concentration from capsule content

An ingredient concentration result and a capsule label are two different pieces of information. To verify milligrams in a finished serving, you need evidence that addresses the finished serving—not just the ingredient before formulation.

Here is a hypothetical example, unrelated to Everas's manufacturing records: if an ingredient assayed at 98% by weight, then 500mg of that ingredient would contain 490mg of the measured substance. The arithmetic is 500 × 0.98. That calculation says nothing about how a manufacturer actually formulated or tested its capsules.

Capsule shells and other ingredients also contribute mass. The weight of the whole capsule is not the same thing as the amount of the active ingredient. A finished product can intentionally include other ingredients without that making its active ingredient “impure.”

Useful question: “Is there finished-product testing that verifies the labeled amount per serving?”

Step 6: Check contaminant results separately

A useful contaminant report names the analytes tested, gives the units and results, and identifies the applicable limits. For a heavy-metal result, you need to know which metal was tested. For microbial testing, you need the specific count or organism and the test conditions.

“ND” generally means not detected under the laboratory's reporting rules. It is not a statement that the amount is mathematically zero. Read the laboratory's definition and detection or reporting limit. For example, “below 0.1” and “below 1.0” are not equally sensitive statements, even when both results are described as undetected. The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation explains this general laboratory reporting distinction; its environmental limits are not supplement standards.

The Urolithin A concentration certificate linked above contains no heavy-metal or microbial results. Everas's testing page separately reports an ND summary supplied by the brand and states that the supporting reports are not included there. Those records would need to be reviewed separately to evaluate the individual analytes and limits.

Do not calculate “the remaining percentage” and label it heavy metals. An assay shortfall from 100% does not identify what else is present. That requires appropriate additional analysis.

Step 7: Read the laboratory notes, not just the logo

ISO/IEC 17025 concerns laboratory competence and reliable testing or calibration. It is not a retail supplement certification. See ISO's explanation of the standard.

On this certificate, a footnote says a ¥ symbol identifies accredited analyses. The Urolithin A row does not carry that mark. The presence of accreditation information at the top therefore should not be described as proof that this particular analysis is accredited. Ask the laboratory about its scope if that distinction matters to your evaluation.

More broadly, laboratory testing, manufacturing standards, and evidence of health effects are separate matters. The NIH supplement guide explains that quality-assurance seals do not guarantee a product's safety or effectiveness.

Your five-question COA checklist

1. Sample: What material did the lab test?
2. Traceability: Which lot does it cover, and how does that relate to my purchase?
3. Measurement: What was measured, by which method, and in which units?
4. Result: What number was reported, and how does it compare with the stated criterion?
5. Scope: Which claims would require another report?

A good next step is to ask a focused question about a specific field. “Can you explain how this ingredient lot maps to my pouch?” is more useful than asking whether a product is simply “lab tested.”

Common questions about Urolithin A COAs

Does a purity result tell me how well the supplement works?

No. It describes an analytical measurement on a sample. It does not measure a person's response to taking the product.

Does a different lot number automatically mean the report is wrong?

No. Ingredients and finished products may use different identifiers. Ask for the connection; do not assume that an unrelated report covers your order.

Should I expect every test on one page?

Not necessarily. Different analyses can appear in separate reports. What matters is whether the documents support the specific claims and identify the material they cover.

Where can I find Everas's certificate?

Visit the Everas test-results page for the complete certificate and its scope. To compare the rest of the purchase, read our Urolithin A buying guide or view Everas Urolithin A Capsules.