Procurement · Quality assurance
How to read a camellia oil COA — a buyer's checklist
Most suppliers will hand you a certificate of analysis. Fewer will tell you what to look for on it. This page walks through each parameter on a camellia oil test report, what it actually indicates, and the limits under GB/T 11765-2018 — using our own accredited laboratory results as the worked example. We publish these numbers because our whole model depends on buyers who audit their suppliers.
First: who issued it, and what does it cover?
A certificate is only as good as the laboratory behind it and the batch it applies to. A self-issued COA from the seller's own bench is a data point, not verification. Insist on three things: an independent, accredited laboratory you can identify; a named testing standard; and a clear statement of which material was tested. Ours are issued by 深圳中检联检测有限公司 (Shenzhen SAG), CNAS/CMA-accredited, against GB/T 11765-2018, GB 2761-2017, and GB 2762-2022 — full laboratory reports, dated to the batch tested: AFSQD020215001C (batch 2023-02-06) and AFSQE110932001C (batch 2024-11-20). Both go out in full, on request, before contract.
Parameter by parameter
| Parameter | What it tells you | GB/T limit | Batch 2024-11-20 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acid value | Free fatty acids — a proxy for seed quality and pressing discipline. Rises with poor raw material or careless storage. | ≤ 2.0 mg/g | 0.49 — 4× under limit |
| Peroxide value | Early oxidation. High values mean the oil is already ageing — shorter shelf life for you. | ≤ 0.25 g/100g | 0.024 — 10× under limit |
| Moisture & volatiles | Residual water — the substrate for hydrolytic rancidity in storage. | ≤ 0.10% | 0.06% |
| Insoluble impurities | Filtration quality after pressing. | ≤ 0.05% | 0.02% |
| Relative density (d20/20) | An identity check — a value outside the band suggests adulteration or a different oil. | 0.912–0.922 | 0.9143 |
| Lead (Pb) / Arsenic (As) | Heavy-metal uptake from soil and water. Non-negotiable for food and personal-care supply chains. | ≤ 0.1 mg/kg | Not detected — both batches |
| Benzo[a]pyrene | A combustion contaminant — the tell-tale of high-heat or careless drying/roasting. Low-temperature processing keeps it out. | ≤ 10 µg/kg | Not detected — both batches |
| Aflatoxin B1 | Mould toxin from damp seed storage. The single most important safety line on the report. | ≤ 10 µg/kg | Not detected — both batches |
| Solvent residue | Evidence of solvent extraction. Should be absent in a genuinely cold-pressed oil. | per standard | Not detected — batch 2023-02-06 |
Red flags on any supplier's certificate
Watch for these regardless of who you buy from: “typical values” presented as if they were measured results; a document with no identifiable laboratory; no named testing standard; a report you can't tie to a specific batch or date; results that don't state a detection limit next to “not detected”; and values sitting suspiciously at exactly the legal limit. Any one of these deserves a follow-up question before money moves.
What we supply on request
Both laboratory reports, in full — the original documents, not a summary retyped onto our own letterhead — along with a sample drum in the grade you intend to buy, before contract. Where your specification calls for parameters beyond the panel above, or for a particular testing frequency, tell us at inquiry: the testing schedule is set as part of the supply agreement and confirmed in writing with your quotation.
What to request before contract
Ask for the laboratory reports and a sample drum, then verify independently — your own laboratory, your own methods, on the material you actually received. That sequence (reports → sample → independent verification → contract) is the audit trail that protects you, and any supplier who resists it is telling you something. Full published specifications are on the specifications page; why the numbers should hold between harvests is covered in single-origin vs blended.