Why declarations are hard to compare
Until 2014 there was no validated analytical method for determining the quantity of humic and fulvic acids in raw materials or commercial products. Every manufacturer measured in its own way. The result is a market where content figures cannot be placed side by side.
Three things complicate the picture at once:
- dry matter versus delivered goods — content “in dry matter” and content “as delivered” differ by several percentage points at 15 % moisture;
- humic substances versus humic acids — humic substances also include fulvic acids and humin, so a higher figure need not mean more active component;
- total versus free humic acids — what acts in the soil is the accessible share, not the total content.
The method we use
Content is determined by the method of Lamar, Olk, Mayhew and Bloom, “A New Standardized Method for Quantification of Humic and Fulvic Acids in Humic Ores and Commercial Products”, Journal of AOAC International 97(3)/2014. The method was validated under the auspices of AAPFCO and is intended precisely for quantifying humic and fulvic acids in ores and finished products, both solid and liquid.
What comes with every delivery
| Batch number and production date | identification of the specific production run |
|---|---|
| Total humic acid content | in dry matter, by the AOAC/HPTA method |
| Free humic acid content | in dry matter |
| Moisture | for conversion to the goods as delivered |
| Contaminant levels | compared against the limits for PFC 3 |
| Origin of the raw material | the deposit and how it is mined |
A declaration nobody verified is only an assertion
Which is why the certificate is issued per batch and why the buyer may have it measured anywhere else. Without that, the market rewards whoever sounds most confident.
The right to independent verification
The buyer is entitled to have any delivered batch checked by a laboratory of their own choosing. Where the result deviates from the declared content beyond the uncertainty of the method, we bear the cost of the analysis and the delivery is replaced or credited.
This is not a courtesy — it is the only way a declaration means anything.
Compare it for yourself
Send us the declaration of the product you currently use. We will return the cost per kilogram of humic acids and per hectare, so you can see what you are actually buying.
Send a declaration