We at Biohackr Health care a lot about the quality of our products. We are trying to bring science to the wild west of biohacking, and that means testing. Wherever possible, we like third party testing of our products, and manufacturers who go beyond the bare minimum of testing. It isn’t just good manufacturing processes and purity of product which matter. It is strength, sterility, contaminants and more. It is finding out what the most stable form or bioavailable form of a product is.
Using our creatine as an example: 
- We import our creatine from Germany. Why? It is 99.9% pure. It is third party tested. It is the gold standard. (JAMA had a study where it got creatine off the internet and analyzed it with a third party. It found all sorts of contaminants, heavy metals, and more.)
- We recommend the micronized powder form. Why? Creatine is not as stable and bioavailable in other forms. We would love to have a gummy or drink version of creatine, but it isn’t as good. (See this study about other forms of creatine published in 2022 , “Analysis of the efficacy, safety, and cost of alternative forms of creatine available for purchase on Amazon.com: are label claims supported by science?”
- We research what we carry. Please read our science blogs. We are not recommending what is seen on Tik Tok or AI. We research the published science behind what we advocate. Where science is not readily available- small studies, animal studies, or just no studies out yet- we will tell you.
WHAT IS GMP?
GMP is cited by many in the supplement world. It means “Good Manufacturing Process” and it is used widely in pharmaceuticals, food and beverage, dietary supplements, and cosmetics. It is important. It is based on the “5 Ps”
- People. Are they trained? Qualified? This includes hygiene standards and competency verification
- Premises. Is it clean? Proper air filtration, temperature, humidity? Is the equipment calibrated? Pest control?
- Processes. This is important. There should be a standard operating procedure. Every product run should have batch records, clear labeling of product/strength/expiration date/lot.
- Products. Testing raw material before use, finished product testing, stability testing, and reference samples retained. *Third party testing “where required.”
- Procedures. Validated manufacturing process, with documented procedures, prevention of cross contamination, clear labeling, and batch traceability.
WHAT IS THIRD PARTY TESTING?
When a manufacturer makes a product, how do you know what is in it? The label can read it has 100 units of xxx, but does it? What if it only has 50 units? Or what if it is xyy? Are there bacteria? Heavy metals? Some other kind of contaminant?
- Third party testing is not done by the manufacturer.
- What a third party tests can vary. Is it just purity? Many only test purity, which is important, but so are other things.
- Testing should be of specific batches and lots.
WHAT VALUES CAN BE TESTED?
- PURITY. This is the most important and common test. It is reported as a percentage, with acceptable purity being > 98% for research grade, and > 99% for pharmaceutical grade. It measures the abundance of each compound and identifies and quantifies impurities.
- CONFIRMS IT IS WHAT IT SAYS IT IS. It measures the molecular weight and confirms the correct sequence.
- STERILITY. *Many peptide suppliers skip this step. We believe this is critical for any injectable peptide. It looks for bacteria, fungus, mycoplasma, and general microbial growth.
- ENDOTOXIN. Gram negative bacteria release endotoxins, and it can be measured even after bacteria are killed and endotoxins are not removed with sterilization. It can cause immune reactions when injected.
- WATER CONTENT. High water content can degrade peptides, affect shelf life, and change the actual amount of peptide in the vial.
- QUANTITY. If it says it has 5mg, you want to make sure it actually has 5 mg.
- HEAVY METAL TESTING. This looks for things like lead, arsenic, mercury, cadmium.
- RESIDUAL SOLVENT TESTING. For synthetic peptide, these are made in solvents. You don’t want leftover synthesis chemicals in your peptide.
WHAT DO WE THINK ABOUT QUALITY TESTING AT BIOHACKR HEALTH?
We think it is important. Again, where possible, we have third party testing. We speak with our suppliers directly about their practices and what values they test. Our goal is for you to know if we carry it, you can know we are trying to bring you the best, most stable, most bioavailable product, and that what we say it is, it is- the amount, purity, sterility, and more.