SV Botanica publishes the COA for its 20% saponin EU-grade shatavari lot on the product page. This guide reads that document line by line — what each section proves, what it cannot prove, and the questions to ask when a competitor’s certificate leaves a line blank.
The header
The published lot carries COA number SVB-COA-SHA20-0626-01 and batch SVB/SHA20/2306-03, a manufacturing date of June 2026, expiry May 2029 and a batch size of 300 kg. Those five facts are the document’s anchor: they must match the drum label and the invoice for the goods you receive, and the batch size tells you whether the lot can cover your order without a second, untested batch appearing at shipment.
The header also states the grade — EU Grade — and the standardisation basis: total saponins NLT 20% by gravimetry. The grade word matters because it promises the residue panel further down; a “standard” lot would not carry it.
Organoleptic and identity
Colour (light brown to brown), odour, taste and texture (free-flowing, hygroscopic) are the first sanity check; shatavari extract is noticeably hygroscopic and a lumpy drum has been opened or badly packed. Identity is a TLC profile against reference material, with all major bands required to match. That confirms the genus and species pattern; it does not by itself distinguish root from other parts, which is why the specification also declares root and why the saponin profile is read alongside it.
Physical parameters
| Parameter | Limit on the published lot | Result | Read it as |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loss on drying | NMT 6.0% w/w (USP <731>) | 2.61% | Dry, well below limit; caking risk low if kept sealed |
| Bulk density | 0.30 to 0.80 g/mL (USP <616>) | 0.55 g/mL | Mid-range; capsule fill predictable |
| Water-soluble extractive | NLT 70.0% (USP <561>) | 74.9% | Consistent with a water or hydroalcoholic root extract |
| Particle size, through #40 mesh | NLT 95.0% (USP <786>) | 100% | Fine powder; blends and disperses |
The methods are named as USP general chapters. That is not decoration: it tells your laboratory how to repeat the test if a result is disputed.
The assay
Total saponins NLT 20.0%, gravimetric, result 21.12% w/w. Gravimetry weighs the saponin-rich fraction after extraction and cleanup; it is the trade method for this root and the basis on which 20%, 40% and 60% grades are sold. It is also a method that can be lifted by any saponin-rich admixture, so the identity line and the plant-part declaration carry weight alongside it. Where a buyer’s specification names shatavarin IV by HPLC, that is reported per lot on request; the two numbers describe different things and are not interchangeable. The saponin standardisation guide explains why two COAs for the same grade can disagree.
Heavy metals
Lead NMT 3.0, arsenic NMT 1.0, cadmium NMT 1.0, mercury NMT 0.1 ppm by ICP-MS. The lead and cadmium limits on this EU-grade lot follow the EU food-supplement ceilings rather than the tighter internal limits some buyers prefer; if your specification says lead NMT 1.0, ask for the numeric result, which is available, rather than the “complies” printed against the looser limit.
The EU residue panel
This section is what makes the lot an EU grade. Residual solvents against the EU extraction-solvent directives by GC; pesticide residues against Regulation (EC) 396/2005 by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS; aflatoxins B1 and total by HPLC-FLD; benzo(a)pyrene and PAH4 against the EU contaminant limits; and ethylene oxide. For a European buyer, a COA without this block means the testing is still to be done, and its cost and lead time belong in the quotation.
Microbiology
Total plate count, yeast and mould, and absence tests for E. coli, Salmonella and S. aureus, with USP chapters named. For a hygroscopic powder the useful question is the sampling date: microbiology drifts with moisture, so a lot tested at manufacture and shipped months later may deserve a retest for sensitive applications.
What this COA cannot tell you
- The shatavarin IV content — ask for the HPLC report.
- The extraction solvent and herb-to-extract ratio — on the specification, not the COA.
- Whether the next lot will match — that is what a standing specification and a retest clause are for.
The COA and the matching specification sheet are downloadable on the shatavari product page. COAs for the 40% and 60% grades are shared at quotation.
Shatavari Extract with a published, auditable COA
20%, 40% and 60% saponin grades; EU residue panel available; third-party testing on request.