Specification & Analysis

A specification looks like a list of numbers, but the same number can point at different things. Here is what we check, with examples from items we actually carry.

1. What the percentage is of — settle this first

If the basis for a content figure is vague, the same number implies a different material quantity. Four examples — all one problem in different costumes.

Material	How the basis splits	Size of the gap
L-Carnitine	as the salt / as L-carnitine	the counter-ion’s molecular weight
Lutein	free form / ester form	the fatty acid’s molecular weight
Bilberry extract	anthocyanins 36% / anthocyanidins 25%	about 1.4×
Glucosylceramide	material weight / component amount	per the content percentage

Bilberry is the clearest. A specification states “anthocyanins 36.0% min.” and “anthocyanidins 25.0% min.” together, and both are correct for the same lot — glycosides with sugar attached versus aglycones without. The notified ingredient is “bilberry-derived anthocyanins”, so calculate with 36%; use 25% and you overestimate the extract by about 1.4×.

2. The method moves the number

Stated method — Japanese Standards for Food Additives, the Pharmacopoeia, or in-house. If in-house, the basis for its validity
When guaranteed — at manufacture or at end of shelf life
Unit drift — 0.6 mg and 600 μg are the same amount. Glucosylceramide notifications use both
Lot-to-lot variation — read the observed distribution, not the specified minimum

3. A concentration ratio is not a specification

“20:1” or “50× concentrated” in a plant-extract name is conventional, and no public standard governs it. What can be compared is the marker compound content. Two materials labelled “20:1” differ if the solvent, plant part or drying method differ.

4. Same name, different material

Bilberry and blueberry — Vaccinium myrtillus versus Vaccinium spp. As a named functional ingredient, bilberry holds 147 notifications and blueberry none
Glucosylceramide by source — pineapple 110, rice 101, konjac 33. Each source is notified separately
Collagen peptide and type II collagen — doses differ by orders of magnitude (grams versus milligrams)
Bacterial strains — a generic name cannot be identified as the functional ingredient

5. Specification checklist

Content basis — is it stated? If converted, the factor and its justification
Analytical method — compendial or in-house
When the figure is guaranteed
Unit — mg / μg / cells
Source and species — to the botanical name; distinguished from close relatives
Plant part — root, leaf, fruit, seed, bark
Marker compound specification — not the concentration ratio
Storage conditions and shelf life
Allergen — the declaration implied by the source