How It Works
The Mitra Project assigns credit-style ratings (AAA to F) to botanical alkaloid products using lab-verified data and a transparent, public formula. No vendor can influence their grade. No grade can be changed after publishing.
01 — The Rating System
| Grade | Score Range | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| AAA | 95–100 | Exceptional — blind-buy verified, top-tier lab results |
| AA | 88–94 | Excellent — consistently strong across all pillars |
| A | 80–87 | Very good — maximum grade for manufacturer-submitted COAs |
| B | 70–79 | Good — meets safety thresholds with minor inconsistencies |
| C | 60–69 | Fair — notable gaps in potency accuracy or consistency |
| D | 50–59 | Poor — significant quality concerns |
| F | 0–49 | Fail — safety violation or critical failure |
The Lab Grade Formula
Potency Accuracy
How closely the actual alkaloid content matches the label claim. Measured as deviation percentage from declared potency.
Solvent Safety
Residual solvent and heavy metal testing results. Binary safety gate — if this fails, the entire batch receives an automatic F grade regardless of other scores.
Batch Consistency
Variation between tested samples within the same batch. Lower variance indicates better manufacturing quality control.
Transparency Audit
Completeness and quality of the submitted Certificate of Analysis. Includes lab accreditation status, test methodology disclosure, and chain of custody documentation.
Solvent Safety Override
If a batch fails residual solvent testing, it receives an automaticFgrade immediately. No further scoring is applied. This rule is absolute.
Track A Cap
Manufacturer-submitted COAs (Track A) are capped at a maximum grade ofA— only blind-buy verified batches (Track B) can achieve AAA.
02 — The Process
Vendor Submits COA
The vendor uploads a Certificate of Analysis from an ISO-17025 accredited laboratory through our secure portal.
Accreditation Verified
Our team confirms the lab holds valid ISO-17025 accreditation for the specific test methods used in the report.
Referee Chemist Review
A qualified reviewer examines the data for completeness, internal consistency, and methodological soundness.
Grade Calculated & Locked
The score is computed server-side using our four-pillar formula. Once published, the grade is immutable — it cannot be altered by vendors, admins, or anyone else.
Published to Directory
The batch grade, lab report summary, and track designation appear on the public directory for consumers to reference.
03 — Blind Buy Program
What It Is
We anonymously purchase products from retail channels with no advance notice to the vendor. The vendor has no knowledge of which batch will be tested, when it will be purchased, or where it will be sent for analysis.
Why It Matters
Blind buys are the only path to aAAArating. Manufacturer-submitted COAs can be cherry-picked. A blind buy proves the product on the shelf matches what the lab reports say.
Vendor Sponsorship
Vendors confident in their quality can sponsor a blind buy of their own product. The purchase is still conducted anonymously by our team — the vendor only covers the cost. If results contradict Track A data, a -40 point penalty applies.
04 — Why Trust Us
No Vendor Control
Vendors cannot edit, dispute the methodology of, or suppress their grades. They can submit data. They cannot influence the outcome.
Immutable Results
Once a grade is calculated and published, it is locked permanently. All grade computations happen server-side in PostgreSQL functions that cannot be overridden by any user role.
Contagion Protocol
If any single batch from a brand receives an F grade, the entire brand is automatically flagged as “High Risk” via database trigger. One bad batch contaminates the brand's reputation until resolved.
Open Methodology
The grading formula, component weights, and override rules are published here for anyone to review. We don't hide behind proprietary algorithms. The math is the same for every brand.
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