On this page
- What Is a Certificate of Analysis?
- Who Issues a COA and What Must It Include?
- How Do You Read a COA Line by Line?
- Which Physical and Chemical Parameters Should You Verify?
- What Should You Check in Microbiological and Contaminant Results?
- How Can You Spot an Incomplete or Doubtful COA?
- How Do You Match COA Values to Your Purchase Specification?
- How Do You Buy Food Commodities with Batch-Wise COAs?
- Frequently asked questions
A certificate of analysis (COA) is a laboratory report that shows the test results for a specific lot of product against agreed limits. For food imports, it is the document that proves your lot meets its specification for quality and safety before the goods are loaded. A COA is only useful if you can read it, check that it is genuine and match it to your contract. This checklist shows you how to do all three.
Key takeaways
- A COA should name the lab, its accreditation number, the product, lot and container number, the test methods, the results with units and the limits.
- Check that each result is below your contract limit, not just the general legal limit.
- Confirm the lab’s accreditation, for example on the NABL or ILAC member portals, and call the lab if anything looks wrong.
- A COA covers quality and safety; a phytosanitary certificate covers plant health. They are different documents.
What Is a Certificate of Analysis?
A certificate of analysis is a signed test report from a laboratory. It lists the parameters tested on a sample of a product, the method used for each test, the result and the limit. In the food trade, a COA is issued for each lot or container, so the buyer can see that the goods meet the agreed specification before shipment.
For agricultural commodities such as peanuts, sesame and spices, the COA is often the most important quality document in the set. It reports the risks that border authorities test for, such as aflatoxin, pesticide residues, ethylene oxide and Salmonella. A failed border test can lead to rejection, destruction or re-export at the importer’s cost. A good COA, checked carefully, reduces that risk.
Some COAs are part of an official system. In India, every groundnut export lot is tested at an APEDA-approved lab, and the result is recorded in APEDA’s Peanut.Net system before a Certificate of Export is issued. For spices, the Spices Board’s laboratories test lots for markets that require it.
Who Issues a COA and What Must It Include?
A COA should be issued by an accredited, independent laboratory, not typed up by the seller. In India, look for labs accredited by NABL to ISO/IEC 17025. NABL is a signatory of the ILAC mutual recognition arrangement, so its accredited results are recognised by accreditation bodies worldwide. Some buyers also accept an exporter’s in-house lab report for basic quality checks such as moisture, but safety results should come from an accredited lab.
A complete COA includes these details:
- Lab name, address and accreditation number.
- A unique report number on every page.
- Product name, lot number and container number.
- Sampling details, the date the sample was received and the test dates.
- Test methods, results with units and limits of quantification.
- The limit each result is compared with.
- Name and signature of the authorised signatory.
How Do You Read a COA Line by Line?
Read a COA from top to bottom, and check each part against your contract and shipping documents. The table shows what to look for in each section.
| COA section | What it shows | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Header | Lab name, address, accreditation number, report number | Accreditation is current and covers the tests reported |
| Sample details | Product, lot, container, sampling date and who sampled | Lot and container numbers match the invoice and packing list |
| Dates | Date received, test dates, issue date | Dates are recent and come before loading |
| Parameters | List of tests, such as aflatoxin or Salmonella | Every test in your specification is included |
| Methods | ISO, AOAC or in-house methods, instrument type | Methods are recognised and suit the test |
| Results and units | Values such as µg/kg, mg/kg, % or cfu/g | Units match your limit; “not detected” shows the detection limit |
| Limits | The limit each result is compared with | Limit equals or is stricter than your contract |
| Sign-off | Authorised signatory, signature, stamp or digital seal | Name and role are shown; seal or QR code can be verified |
A line-by-line checklist for reading a certificate of analysis.
Which Physical and Chemical Parameters Should You Verify?
Physical and chemical results show whether the lot matches the commercial grade you paid for. The exact list depends on the product, but these are the most common:
- Moisture: high moisture raises the risk of mould and aflatoxin during the voyage. Most seeds and spices are sold at 6–10% maximum.
- Purity and admixture: the share of clean product against foreign matter, other seeds and broken material.
- Count or size: for peanuts, the number of kernels per ounce.
- Free fatty acid (FFA) and peroxide value: signs of freshness and rancidity in oil-rich seeds such as peanuts and sesame.
- Product-specific values: volatile oil in cumin, curcumin in turmeric, swell volume in psyllium, or protein in animal feed.
- Heavy metals: lead and cadmium in pulses, spices and seeds, tested by ICP-MS or AAS.
What Should You Check in Microbiological and Contaminant Results?
Contaminant and microbiological results decide whether the goods can legally enter your market. Check these with the most care.
- Aflatoxin: report B1 and total aflatoxins (B1+B2+G1+G2), usually by HPLC with fluorescence detection or LC-MS/MS. The EU limit for peanuts for direct use is 2 µg/kg B1 and 4 µg/kg total.
- Ochratoxin A: relevant to spices and grains.
- Pesticide residues: a multi-residue screen by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS, often covering 400 or more compounds, against EU or destination maximum residue limits.
- Ethylene oxide: reported as the sum of ethylene oxide and 2-chloroethanol. The EU limit for sesame is 0.05 mg/kg.
- Salmonella: reported as “absent in 25 g” by ISO 6579-1 for sesame, spices and ready-to-eat products.
- Indicator organisms: total plate count, E. coli, yeast and mould, where your specification includes them.
Look closely at “not detected” results. A proper report states the limit of detection or quantification, so you know how sensitive the test was. A result of “ND” with no detection limit tells you very little.
How Can You Spot an Incomplete or Doubtful COA?
Most problems with COAs are not forgeries but gaps. Watch for these warning signs:
- No lot or container number, or numbers that do not match the invoice.
- A “typical analysis” or “specification sheet” sent in place of a lot-wise report.
- Test dates months before the shipment, or after the vessel sailed.
- No accreditation number, or an accreditation that does not cover the tests reported.
- Results with no units, no methods or no detection limits.
- Results that are identical across different lots, or that sit exactly at the limit every time.
- Signs of editing, such as different fonts, missing pages or an unclear seal.
To check that a COA is genuine, look up the lab’s accreditation on the NABL portal or the accreditation body in the lab’s country. Then contact the lab directly, using contact details from its own website, and quote the report number. Many labs also print a QR code that links to an online copy of the report.
How Do You Match COA Values to Your Purchase Specification?
A COA can only confirm what your contract asks for. Write every parameter, limit and test method into the purchase specification, and ask the supplier to test against those values. Then check each COA line against the contract, not only against the legal limit.
Allow a margin. Results vary between labs and between samples, and a lot may be tested again at your border. A result right at the limit in India may fail on arrival. For aflatoxin in the EU, for example, many buyers want the pre-shipment result well below the legal limit. If you need extra assurance, ask for a pre-shipment sample for your own lab, or appoint SGS, Intertek or Bureau Veritas to sample at loading.
Keep the COA with the other shipping documents. Our sesame import guide shows how the COA fits with the phytosanitary certificate, certificate of origin and bill of lading.
Related reading: Phytosanitary Certificate: What It Is and How It Is Issued and Fumigation Certificate: Methyl Bromide vs Phosphine for Export Cargo.
How Do You Buy Food Commodities with Batch-Wise COAs?
Buy from exporters who provide a lot-wise certificate of analysis from an accredited lab as standard, before loading. Elysium Agri Corporation tests every export lot at NABL-accredited labs for the parameters in your specification, including aflatoxin, pesticide residues, ethylene oxide, Salmonella and heavy metals. For groundnuts, testing runs through APEDA’s Peanut.Net system. For spices, we also use the Spices Board’s NABL-accredited Quality Evaluation Laboratory at Kandla.
Each COA shows the lab’s accreditation number, methods, results and limits. You can send us your own limits, or ask for a pre-shipment sample for your lab. See our lab testing page for the full test panel, our quality process for the checks before loading, and our verification page to confirm our registrations.
Tell us the product, grade and the tests you need. Request a tested-lot quote →
Frequently asked questions
What is a certificate of analysis for food products?
A certificate of analysis is a signed laboratory report showing test results for a specific lot of food against agreed limits. It lists each parameter, such as moisture, aflatoxin, pesticide residues or Salmonella, with the method, result, units and limit. Importers use it to confirm a lot meets its specification before shipment.
What should be checked on a COA before accepting a shipment?
Check that the lot and container numbers match the invoice, the test dates come before loading, and every parameter in your contract is reported. Confirm the units, methods and detection limits, and make sure each result is below your contract limit with a margin. Finally, verify the lab's accreditation and the signatory.
Who issues a certificate of analysis?
A certificate of analysis should be issued by an independent, accredited laboratory, such as an NABL-accredited lab in India working to ISO/IEC 17025. For some products, official systems apply: Indian groundnuts are tested at APEDA-approved labs under Peanut.Net. Exporter in-house reports may cover basic quality checks, but not safety results.
How do you know if a COA is genuine?
Look up the lab's accreditation number on the accreditation body's portal, such as NABL in India, and confirm it covers the tests reported. Contact the lab directly using details from its own website and quote the report number. Many labs also add a QR code or digital seal that links to an online copy.
What is the difference between a COA and a phytosanitary certificate?
A COA is a laboratory report on quality and safety, covering things like moisture, aflatoxin, pesticide residues and microbiology. A phytosanitary certificate is an official document from the exporting country's plant protection authority confirming the goods are free from regulated pests and diseases. Most food commodity shipments need both.
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