ZHICHENG BIO
Carnitine Series~1 week
L-Carnitine HCl
$33.2 – $37.2 /kgby order volume
01Product
L-Carnitine Tartrate 68% L-Carnitine / 32% L-Tartaric Acid
At a glance
L-Carnitine Tartrate from Zhicheng Bio — supply summary
Zhicheng Bio supplies bulk L-Carnitine Tartrate (68% L-Carnitine / 32% L-Tartaric Acid), CAS 36687-82-8, shipping from Shanghai, China. This grade is produced to order. Every shipment carries a batch Certificate of Analysis; specification sheet and MSDS are supplied on request. Sourced to order — about 1 week to Shanghai port. Zhicheng Bio publishes no list price — quotes are issued per quantity and Incoterm by email to zhicheng1@zhicheng-bio.cn.
- Supplier
- Zhicheng Bio, Shanghai, China
- CAS number
- 36687-82-8
- Molecular formula
- C18H36N2O12
- Grade / specification
- 68% L-Carnitine / 32% L-Tartaric Acid
- Availability
- Made to order
- Documents
- Batch CoA with every shipment; spec sheet and MSDS on request
- Packing
- 25 kg cartons or bags, adjustable
- PubChem CID
- 57349413
- How to get a price
- Email RFQ to zhicheng1@zhicheng-bio.cn — no list price is published
Carnitine Series
~1 week
L-Carnitine Tartrate
68% L-Carnitine / 32% L-Tartaric Acid
CAS 36687-82-8 · C18H36N2O12
Bulk L-Carnitine Tartrate for B2B manufacturing — supplied against your target specification, with documentation your QA can review before anything ships. Pricing below is indicative; send an RFQ for a firm quote, MOQ and lead time.
$23.6 – $26.5 /kg
by order volume · indicative, ex-Shanghai
Indicative range — larger volumes price toward the low end. Ingredient markets move weekly; your firm price is confirmed by quotation, typically within one business day.
Key supply points
- Supplied against your target specification — USP / FCC / JP monograph where applicable
- Recent batch COA provided with the quotation, before you commit
- Consolidates with other SKUs into one shipment out of Shanghai
- Third-party lab verification available pre-shipment on request
Documentation with every batch
COA per batchSpec SheetMSDS / SDSExport docs
Third-party lab verification can be arranged pre-shipment on request. Certificates of origin, non-GMO or allergen statements per destination-market requirements.
Shipping & Lead Time
Estimate freight for this product
~1 weekSourced to order — about 1 week to Shanghai port
Air FreightFast
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Sea LCLValue
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Documentation-first
COA per batch, Spec Sheet and MSDS — reviewed by your QA before anything ships.
Ready-stock depth
Multi-tonne inventory on core SKUs, plus 28 actives held in our US warehouse in Los Angeles for domestic delivery.
Certified supply chain
Sourced from audited, certified manufacturers — ISO, HACCP, Halal & Kosher available.
Flexible export
25 kg bags, cartons or drums; FOB / CIF / DDP by lane, sea or air consolidation.
02Identity & properties
Identity & properties
Compound identifiers and physical properties for this material. The binding version is always the Specification Sheet and batch COA issued with your quotation.
| CAS No. | 36687-82-8 |
|---|---|
| Molecular Formula | C18H36N2O12 (L-carnitine : L-tartaric acid, 2:1) |
| Molecular Weight | 472.5 |
| EINECS | 459-550-9 or 609-282-5 |
| Synonyms | Levocarnitine tartrate, L-Carnitine L-tartrate, LCLT, carnitine tartrate 2:1 |
| Appearance | White crystalline powder |
| Solubility | Freely soluble in water |
03Specifications
Specifications
Typical parameters below — the binding version is the Specification Sheet and batch COA we send with your quotation.
| Parameter | Specification | Test method |
|---|---|---|
| L-Carnitine content | 68% (nominal, per the product's stated composition) | Calculated / per specification |
| L-Tartaric acid content | 32% (nominal, per the product's stated composition) | Calculated / per specification |
| Assay (as-is / dried basis) | — | Titration or HPLC per the applicable monograph |
| Appearance | — | Visual |
| Identification | — | IR / specific optical rotation per monograph |
| Specific optical rotation | — | Polarimetry |
| Loss on drying | — | Gravimetric |
| Residue on ignition / sulphated ash | — | Gravimetric |
| Chloride | — | Per monograph |
| Sulphate | — | Per monograph |
| Iron | — | Per monograph |
| Other amino acids / related substances | — | TLC or HPLC per monograph |
| Heavy metals (Pb / As / Cd / Hg) | — | ICP-MS or per monograph |
| Microbiology (TAMC / TYMC / E. coli / Salmonella) | — | USP <61>/<62> or equivalent |
A dash means we have no fixed limit to publish for that parameter: it is reported on the batch COA and the limit is agreed with your QA. We would rather leave it blank than invent a number. Full physical, chemical, heavy-metal and microbiological parameters are listed in the Specification Sheet — sent with every quotation.
04Formulation & handling notes
Formulation & handling notes
The practical points our technical team raises with buyers of this material — the things that decide whether a batch behaves in your process.
01
This is the salt the industry uses specifically to get carnitine into a dry powder. Carnitine free base is strongly hygroscopic; the 2:1 tartrate is the form treated as non-hygroscopic and free-flowing, which is why flavoured powders and stick packs almost always specify tartrate rather than base.
02
It is not indifferent to humidity, though. Patent literature on non-hygroscopic carnitine salts describes L-carnitine L-tartrate as becoming deliquescent at relative humidity slightly above 60%. Treat 60% RH as the practical ceiling for open handling, blending rooms and stick-pack filling.
03
Potency is 68% carnitine and 32% L-tartaric acid, and the 68% is stoichiometrically real, not a marketing round number: two carnitine molecules (2 x 161.20) in a 472.5 g/mol salt is 68.2%.
04
The tartrate counter-ion contributes acidity and a mild tart note, which is why it disappears cleanly into citrus and berry flavour systems and fights with dairy or vanilla ones.
05
For a 1000 mg carnitine claim you need about 1470 mg of tartrate — a meaningful difference in a capsule shell or a 5 g scoop budget, and the single most common source of label error when a formula is moved between carnitine salts.
06
12+ tonnes of this SKU sit in stock, so it is the carnitine form to standardise on if you are scaling a powder line rather than a capsule.
05Applications
Applications
B2B manufacturing use only — no finished-product or health claims.
Pre-workout and fat-metabolism powder blends
Flavoured stick packs and instant drink powders
Tablets and capsules where powder flow matters
Functional food and bar inclusions
Sports gels and chews
06Regulatory status by market
Regulatory status by market
Status of the raw material, stated as conservatively as our sources allow. This is supply-chain information, not regulatory advice — confirm the position for your finished product and destination market with your own regulatory counsel.
| Market | Status | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| United States | GRAS Notice GRN 993 (notifier Ausnutria B.V.) for L-carnitine-L-tartrate closed with an 'FDA has no questions' letter on 18 October 2021 — but the notified use was narrow: 'ingredient in cow or goat milk-based, non-exempt infant formula for term infants at a maximum level of 0.88 mg/100 kcal'. Two earlier notices (GRN 935, GRN 362) were withdrawn at the notifier's request. GRN 993 does not authorise general food use and does not cover dietary supplements. | FDA GRAS Notice Inventory, GRN 993 (and GRN 935, GRN 362) |
| European Union | Amino acids are not covered by the harmonised positive lists of Directive 2002/46/EC (Annexes I and II of that Directive cover vitamins and minerals only). Amino acid ingredients are therefore governed by general EU food law plus national rules, with mutual recognition under Article 4 of Regulation (EC) No 764/2008 in practice. | Directive 2002/46/EC (food supplements); national member-state rules |
| China | Status as a nutrient fortification substance / food additive under Chinese national standards to be confirmed. | GB 14880-2012 (nutrient fortification substances), GB 2760 (food additives), and NHC new-food-ingredient announcements |
| Japan | No JP XVIII Official Monograph for this substance was located. | JP XVIII |
07Selected research
Selected research
Peer-reviewed literature on this compound, with linked identifiers so you can read the primary source rather than take our word for it.
These references are listed for scientific context only. They describe published research on the compound; they are not claims about this raw material and not claims about any finished product. Zhicheng Bio makes no medical, health or performance claims.
- In a balanced crossover study in ten resistance-trained men, three weeks of L-carnitine L-tartrate (2 g L-carnitine/day) attenuated exercise-induced increases in plasma markers of purine catabolism and circulating cytosolic proteins after a squat protocol, and MRI-assessed muscle disruption was 41-45% of the placebo area. Volek JS, Kraemer WJ, Rubin MR, Gómez AL, Ratamess NA, Gaynor P. Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab. 2002;282(2):E474-E482. PMID 11788381DOI 10.1152/ajpendo.00277.2001Source
- In a crossover trial in eighteen middle-aged men and women, three weeks of L-carnitine L-tartrate (2 g L-carnitine/day) significantly attenuated biochemical markers of purine metabolism after an acute resistance-exercise challenge. Ho JY, Kraemer WJ, Volek JS, Fragala MS, Thomas GA, Dunn-Lewis C, Coday M, Häkkinen K, Maresh CM. Metabolism. 2010;59(8):1190-1199. PMID 20045157DOI 10.1016/j.metabol.2009.11.012Source
- In a placebo-controlled crossover study, 3 g/day of L-carnitine L-tartrate for 21 days in ten healthy active men produced no statistically significant differences from placebo in a complete chemistry panel, liver and renal function markers, or complete blood count. Rubin MR, Volek JS, Gómez AL, Ratamess NA, French DN, Sharman MJ, Kraemer WJ. J Strength Cond Res. 2001;15(4):486-490. PMID 11726261Source
- A pharmacokinetic review of L-carnitine reported 5-18% absolute bioavailability for oral doses of 1-6 g against up to 75% for dietary L-carnitine. Evans AM, Fornasini G. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2003;42(11):941-967. PMID 12908852DOI 10.2165/00003088-200342110-00002Source
08Packing, storage & lead time
Packing, storage & lead time
| Standard packing | 25 kg bags, cartons or drums |
|---|---|
| Private packing | Custom packing & labeling available for regular customers |
| Storage | Cool, dry place, sealed in original packaging |
| Lead time | Sourced to order — about 1 week to Shanghai port |
| Shipping | Sea or air consolidation out of Shanghai · FOB / CIF / DDP by lane |
09Procurement FAQ
Procurement FAQ
01What humidity can we handle this at?
Keep open handling below about 60% RH. Patent literature on carnitine salts describes L-carnitine L-tartrate turning deliquescent just above 60% RH — that is the number to design your blending room and stick-pack line around, not a generic 'store in a dry place'.
02Is the 68% carnitine figure guaranteed or nominal?
68% is the stoichiometric composition of the 2:1 salt and is what appears on the specification. The binding figure for your batch is the carnitine assay on the COA, which we send with the quotation.
03Does GRN 993 mean I can use this in any food in the US?
No, and this is worth being precise about. GRN 993 closed with an 'FDA has no questions' letter, but the notified use was infant formula at a maximum of 0.88 mg/100 kcal. It is not a general food clearance. US dietary supplement use sits under DSHEA. Talk to your regulatory counsel about your specific application.
04How deep is stock on this item?
This is one of our deepest SKUs — roughly 12 tonnes available, about one week to Shanghai. It consolidates well with citrulline and creatine into a single container.
05What is the MOQ for L-Carnitine Tartrate?
MOQ is quote-based and flexible. Tell us your target quantity in the RFQ — for core in-stock SKUs we can usually accommodate both trial orders and multi-tonne volumes.
06Can I get a sample of L-Carnitine Tartrate before ordering?
Yes — samples are available on request for evaluation and lab verification. Mention it in your RFQ and we will confirm the arrangement.
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