Quality of Ingredients
Our commitment to quality – unique formulations using the finest ingredients
At Lifeplus, we manufacture nearly all of our own products. This way we can ensure quality is at the heart of everything we do. We monitor every detail from the purity of our source ingredients to the composition of the final product. Nothing leaves our premises unless we are absolutely certain it meets our exacting standards.
Unique formulations
Our in-house formulation team, led by our Scientific Director, Dr. Dwight McKee, stays abreast of the latest research by scouring the scientific literature, frequently attending health conferences, as well as surveying ingredient expos to find new potential sources of quality raw materials. This knowledge is then used to formulate synergistic combinations of ingredients for new and innovative holistic wellness products.
Ingredient Sourcing and Verification
When a formula specifies an ingredient that we have not previously used, we will bring samples in from a variety of vendors. Our in-house Quality Assurance team will subject each sample to a battery of exacting laboratory tests. Potency, pesticides, herbicides, solvent residue, microbial growth, heavy metals and other parameters are all evaluated.
Lab equipment we use to verify our ingredients meet our specifications:
Water soluble vitamins
(e.g. B vitamins, vitamin C)
Amino acids
Phytonutrients: catechins & bioflavonoids
(e.g. EGCG in green tea, OPCs in grape seed extract, quercetin, rutin, hesperidin)
Other essential nutrients:
(e.g. CoQ10, choline)
Other elements
(e.g. mannose, ipriflavone, glucosamines, caffeine)
(e.g. polyphenols in green tea leaf extract, beta glucans)
(e.g. zinc, selenium, calcium, magnesium)
PCBs
Solvent residue
Vitamin E
(e.g. mercury, arsenic, lead, cadmium) down to parts per trillion
Fingerprinting
Once an ingredient has been identified as the preferred choice, it will be fingerprinted with our Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR). This allows us to compare all future shipments of this specific ingredient to that fingerprint. If any future batch of an ingredient does not match the fingerprint, it is rejected and either returned to the vendor or discarded.
Future ingredient batches
If the batch passes the fingerprinting test, it is quarantined while we run the full battery of laboratory tests described above. We need to satisfy ourselves that nothing has been altered and this batch of raw material is still as pure and clean as the initial sample received. This is the case even with regular highly commended suppliers. For example, we have used Real OPCs™ produced by the same supplier since 1994 and our Quality Assurance colleagues still test each and every delivery as if it were the first.
To see how we use quality ingredients to make quality products, click below.
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