Frequently asked questions

It depends on the tests. A fatty acid profile needs about 5 g of a liquid oil. The order builder checks each sample against the published minimum and warns you before you ship rather than after we receive it. Full detail is on the sample preparation page.

Amber glass with minimal headspace for anything oxidation-sensitive, sealed. Air in the bottle oxidises the sample in transit, and the result then describes the journey rather than the product. Capsules can travel in their original blister or a sealed pot.

For a routine test on a common matrix, no — just place the order and enclose the sample submission form, printed from your order once the quote is agreed. For a new matrix, a hazardous sample, or anything needing cold chain, contact us first so we can confirm handling.

Often, yes. Custom method development and non-routine matrices are a significant part of what we do. Send us the specification you need to meet and we will tell you whether we can meet it, and what it would take. Discuss a custom project and a chemist will reply.

Everything is quoted. Prices depend on sample count, matrix, the panel you need and how much preparation the sample requires, so a published list would be misleading more often than it was useful. Build your order online and you will receive a written quote before any analysis begins.

After a chemist has reviewed your order, and always before any analysis begins. Nothing is charged online.

Fatty acid profiling is 10 business days. Oxidation work is within 5 business days. TLC isolations and other specialty work is within 15 business days. The Lipid Labs Omega-3 Quality Testing Package is within 15 business days as a whole. All counted from the day the sample arrives rather than the day you order, for a standard number of samples. If you need results sooner, request a rush when you order — whether it can be met, and what it costs, is confirmed on your quote.

Sometimes, depending on instrument scheduling. Request it when you order rather than after — once a batch is queued it is harder to move. Whether it can be met, and what it costs, is confirmed on your quote; nothing is promised until then.

We may be able to arrange discounted rates for certain research projects. Contact us with the details and we will tell you whether it qualifies.

A PDF report as standard. We can also supply results in formats suited to data analysis if you are running a study or feeding results into your own system — tell us when you order. What each part of the report is for is set out in understanding your certificate of analysis.

Yes. We will send a redacted example report on request, so you can see exactly what you will receive and how it is laid out.

Call us. We keep retained sample where quantity allows, and if the question is genuine we would rather re-run it than argue about it. Most apparent anomalies turn out to be a sampling or handling issue upstream, which is worth knowing either way. If you would rather it were handled formally than by telephone, that is a complaint, and we record and investigate it as one.

We hold ISO/IEC 17025:2017 accreditation through the Standards Council of Canada. Accreditation is scope-specific rather than blanket — the tests inside our scope are marked on the menu, and the full scope document is on the accreditation page. On the certificate, results within our accredited scope carry the accreditation mark, and every result names the method it was run to.

In most cases yes, which is a large part of why the accreditation matters — it reduces re-testing at destination. Confirm the receiving market’s requirements with us before you rely on it for a specific shipment.

The premises are roughly 95% laboratory and 5% office, so it is not somewhere to drop in unannounced. We are glad to show prospective and existing clients around given some notice, and equally happy to talk a project through by phone or meet elsewhere.