Testing

mav6 · Sep 18, 2010

Ok, I realize this probably is not the best forum to be posting this in, but I didn't want to post in the sponsors forum and get banned.

However, I was reading this thread in the sponsors forum:
http://www.professionalmuscle.com/forums/sponsors/64161-test-results.html

It really piqued my interest. I have full access to a university lab to myself. I often work on independent projects. I have in the past tested protein powders even to see if one was truly better than another. And because I know someone will ask I'll just tell you, there's very little difference. Buy the flavor you like, if the jug says 20g of protein you're getting 18-22g, and it can vary from scoop to scoop. I tested a variety of different whey that myself and friends had, nothing came back bad.

Anyways, I'm not trying to put rAJJIN on the spot, but at one point he asks which tests were used. So, anyone can answer this, but which testing method do you consider legitimate? A simple melting point test? Atomic spectroscopy? Gravimetry? X-ray fluorescence?

I'm just asking in general. Regardless if I was testing vitamin d3 pills, ibuprofen, or any product. Just asking if there is a specific method that is considered by the community as the preferred test.

mav6 · Sep 21, 2010

Hmmm, I kinda thought people would be jumping all over this question. With so much biochemistry talk on this forum, I thought for sure more people had tested their supps and gear. I guess I'm just a geek :'heeky-sm

In any case, if no one has an opinion on which test, has anyone ever tested products for purity? What method did you choose?

We used just about every method we could on the protein powder, but that's really just because we wanted an excuse to use everything. The prof thought is was a good learning tool. Otherwise there was no real reason to be using x-rays on protein powder.

shovelhed82 · Sep 22, 2010

This is a great question, but I heard more about melting point than the others.

Does it take alot of product to test?

If you were closer I'd donate some old AS gear...

mexbeast · Sep 22, 2010

maybe if you post it on the pmf not a lot of peeps look into this thread, seems to be a touchy subject.

mav6 · Sep 23, 2010

shovelhed82 said:
This is a great question, but I heard more about melting point than the others.

Does it take alot of product to test?

If you were closer I'd donate some old AS gear...

I can test material as small as a gram, but the thing is for your data to be statistically significant, you usually have to test a higher volume so you can show that the results aren't just a fluke. For instance, let's say you were testing doxycycline, and you tested one pill, and it came up as mostly filler with barely any doxycycline in it. You could come out and make the claim that all the doxycycline was the same composition, but in order for you to prove it, you'd have to test a large number of them to show that the results are consistent.

My opinion is, though, that after I test a few, I know where this is going usually. So, I was kind of opening it up to say, how do other people feel? If I tested 10 pills and said this is what I found, would that be good enough for most people, or would people want me to test hundreds in order to statistically prove my results.