This is the most lopsided checklist in the series after giloy, and for a comparable reason. On spirulina, one capability — LC-MS/MS microcystin testing on every batch — matters more than documentation, capacity, price and responsiveness combined, because it is the only control that addresses the ingredient's principal hazard and nothing else substitutes for it.
Three Disqualifying Red Flags
- Does not test microcystins, or tests them periodically rather than per batch. Contamination is a pond event — it can affect one harvest and not the next. Annual testing does not control a batch-variable risk.
- Reports microcystins as "complies" without a figure, or by an unspecified method. You need the number and the method. A general screen is not LC-MS/MS.
- Will not declare the cultivation method. Open pond versus closed photobioreactor is the variable driving the risk. A supplier treating it as commercially sensitive is withholding the context for their own test result.
The one-question filter: "Do you test microcystins by LC-MS/MS on every batch, and will the measured figure appear on the CoA?" Ask before anything else. As set out in our microcystins guide, no other check on a spirulina certificate detects this — so a supplier without the capability is selling you an ingredient whose main risk is unmeasured, however impressive the rest of their documentation.
The Scoring Framework
Weighted to 100 points, with microcystin control carrying 40.
1. Microcystin Control — 40 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Microcystins by LC-MS/MS on every batch | 15 |
| Measured figure reported on the CoA, not "complies" | 10 |
| Can state which congeners the method covers | 6 |
| Will accept a microcystin ceiling in the purchase specification | 5 |
| Testing at an accredited laboratory (NABL / ISO 17025 equivalent) | 4 |
The congener question is a genuine competence check. Microcystins are a family, and a method covering only one or two congeners provides partial assurance. A supplier who can answer precisely is running a real method; one who cannot may be relying on a generic screen.
2. Cultivation Disclosure — 15 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Cultivation method declared on every batch | 6 |
| Can describe pond management and contamination monitoring | 5 |
| Closed photobioreactor material available where required | 4 |
Note that a closed system scores but does not exempt: it is a risk reduction, not a substitute for section 1.
3. Product and Assay Clarity — 20 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Powder versus phycocyanin stated unambiguously | 6 |
| Colour value reported with measurement conditions | 6 |
| Protein by Kjeldahl on dry basis, conversion factor stated | 4 |
| Identity by microscopy and/or HPLC | 4 |
4. Contaminants, Irradiation and Ash Logic — 15 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Non-irradiation declaration provided explicitly | 4 |
| Heavy metals by ICP-MS with numeric per-element limits | 4 |
| Full microbiological panel appropriate to a pond-grown biomass | 4 |
| Acid-insoluble ash limited; total ash treated as characteristic | 3 |
The irradiation line earns its place: spirulina's natural microbial load is higher than a solvent-extracted botanical's, and irradiation is sometimes used to bring counts into specification. Many markets and buyers do not accept it. Suspiciously low counts on an open-pond product are worth a question.
5. Consistency and Terms — 10 points
| Criterion | Points |
|---|---|
| Three consecutive batch CoAs with microcystin figures and protein | 4 |
| Storage conditions specified in supply terms (colour grades) | 2 |
| Incoterms and written payment terms properly quoted | 2 |
| Technical questions answered by someone who understands the biology | 2 |
Interpreting the Score
| Score | Reading |
|---|---|
| 85–100 | Qualified for bulk supply. Proceed to sample and pre-shipment verification. |
| 70–84 | Workable with conditions. Close the gaps in writing before first bulk order. |
| 55–69 | Trial quantities only, with independent microcystin verification on every lot. |
| Below 55 | Not a supplier for a regulated market. |
Apply an absolute floor on section 1: below 25 of 40, decline — regardless of the total. This is the firmest floor in the series alongside giloy's species control. A supplier can score well across every other section while leaving the ingredient's principal hazard unmeasured, and no aggregate score should be allowed to obscure that.
The Sample Stage
- Check the sample CoA carries a microcystin figure and a method. Absent there, absent on bulk.
- Check colour against the product claimed. Whole biomass is deep blue-green; phycocyanin extract is bright blue. A "phycocyanin" sample that looks blue-green is biomass.
- Ask about pond management. A producer can describe how they monitor for contamination; a trader cannot.
- Smell it. Spirulina has a characteristic marine odour. Off or musty notes suggest poor drying or storage.
- For colour grades, run your own stability check at your product's pH and thermal profile before committing — see applications and formulation.
- Did they ask about your format? A supplier who does not ask whether you need nutrition or colour cannot quote the right product.
First-Order Protocol
- Nominate an independent laboratory — Eurofins, SGS or Intertek — with microcystins by LC-MS/MS explicitly in the scope. A standard botanical panel will not include it, and this is the most consequential scoping decision anywhere in this ingredient series.
- Confirm the congeners covered match the supplier's method.
- Verify protein and, for colour grades, colour value under matched conditions.
- Retain a sealed, dated sample stored cool and dark; for colour grades, re-test colour value at twelve months to learn how the material behaves in your storage.
- Re-verify on any change of production site, pond or season. Contamination is site- and time-variable — this is not an ingredient where one clean result covers the relationship.
SV Botanica tests microcystins by LC-MS/MS on every spirulina batch and states the measured figure, declares the cultivation method, reports colour value with conditions and protein by Kjeldahl, and provides non-irradiation declarations. Buyer-nominated third-party pre-shipment testing is welcome and encouraged. See the product page, the buyer's guide, or microcystins and authenticity.
Source Microcystin-Tested Spirulina from India
Microcystins by LC-MS/MS every batch · cultivation method declared · phycocyanin colour value stated · protein NLT 60% · CoA-backed · samples for qualified buyers