Recently, CBD Informative partnered with Level One Labs in order to make sure that the data about the CBD products on the shelves is as accurate as possible. Here’s some information about the Cannabis Testing Facility in Arizona and why accuracy about Cannabis is so important.
The Highly Accurate Testing of Level One Labs
Level One Labs tests Cannabis with a state of the art lab that has highly accurate results so that consumers know as much as possible about the Cannabis products they are receiving. This includes using the Agilent’s 1100 HPLC with Diode Array. This stands for “High-performance Liquid Chromatography,” which is a way to analyze materials with a high level of accuracy.
The HPLC technique can detect many different types of Cannabinoids including the classic CBD and THC. CBD is the classic agent which promotes calming and pain relief, and THC is often considered to be the most prominent components of Cannabis with its mind-expanding effects. However, there are many other types to include CBDA, CBN, CBC, and many others, which can all be analyzed with the HPLC Diode Array.
Terpene Analysis
Level One Labs is known for their terpene analaysis through Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GCMS) which can detect the presence of 41 different Terpenes. These are important parts of Cannabis and can have many different positive effects on those who use it. Terpenes are increasing in popularity and more CBD products are starting to blend them into their mixtures. They are most known for their unique smells and the additional taste they can add. Most products that use them like it because it is a more natural way to flavor their tinctures and other products.
Mass Spectrometry
Another tool that Level One uses to analyze Cannabis for accurate analysis is Mass Spectrometry. This is an instrument that can use light to identify and measure ‘residual solvents’ in Cannabis concentrates. The test here is called the “Residual Solvent Screen.”
The important consideration here is making sure that any dangerous chemicals that were used to separate out the THC don’t remain in the product. There are 20 residual solvent analytes that the lab tests for, including Benzene, Chloroform, Isopropyl Alcohol, and many others. These chemicals are sometimes used in the solvent process to separate things like THC and CBD, so it’s important to demonstrate their absence.
Microbial/Pesticide Tests
Another test done is called the “Microbial Analysis Screen” to test for any unwanted biological contaminants. You don’t want to end up with E.coli, mold, yeast, Salmonella or anything else in one of these products. This is why Level One uses the Quantified Polymerase Chain Reaction test or qPCR to test for the presence of any of these nasty contaminants. They have also recently switch platforms to Medicinal Genomics. This has allowed them to increase the accuracy of their Microbial/ Pesticide results.
These contaminants can definitely make you sick, so having a third-party testing service to ensure their absence in Cannabis products is rather important. Microbial testing for Yeast and Mold can be done over the course of 6 hours with a quick turnaround.
Another test done here is the pesticide screen. Pesticides could be used in developing Cannabis plants, so it’s also important to demonstrate the absence of pesticides in the final product that consumers will be getting as well. Fortunately, Level One Labs is able to show all interested parties that there aren’t any pesticides present in the products. Pesticides can be important for keeping insects and other pests from consuming the plants, but they are also potentially dangerous for human consumption if they are still on the plants when they are processed and sent out.
That’s why a test is needed to ensure this kind of safety.
The Importance of Knowing What’s in Cannabis
The industry around Cannabis is exploding. This is generally a good thing as many people are using the plant to improve their lives in many different ways. However, the caveat is that with this increased legality and interest comes some problems in terms of knowing what’s actually in the products.
Many gas stations and other stores may have products that say they have no THC in them, for example, when they do actually have some. Other products may claim that they have a certain percentage of this substance or that substance when the reporting is actually inaccurate. Given the state of laws in each part of the country, and the need for consumers to regulate what they put in their bodies in order to get the best result possible, accurate reporting on what a product contains has never been more critical.
One of the reasons why this is happening is because there’s currently a gap between federal law and state laws about the substance. It’s still illegal federally, but many states have various levels of legality in different ways including for medical purposes or for recreational purposes. Due to the confusion, there’s not a lot of regulation about testing products and then accurately labeling what is in these products.
A recent study found that 26% of tested products had less CBD than what the label said. This means that consumers who picked those products could be not getting the amount that they need for health or other benefits.
The study found that many products were claiming they had much higher levels of CBD than they claimed, including 14 businesses that received letters from the FDA due to having less than 1% of the amount of CBD they claimed to have from 2014 and 2015.
What the Level One Partnership Means
The mass mislabeling of products is likely due in part to a lack of access to proper labs for a high level of testing. However, the partnership between CBD Informative and Level One Labs should go a long way to alleviating this problem at least within the legal CBD industry. This is due to the fact that Level One has a wide variety of testing capabilities including tools like HPLC, GCMS, LCQQQ, & PCR in order to test for Terpenes, THC and CBD count, and the presence of biological and chemical contaminants.
If all CBD companies used third-party testing of this caliber on this scale, then the age of CBD would be safer and of more benefit to consumers. This is why CBD Informative is so excited to enter into this partnership with Level One and their Cannabis Testing Facility in Arizona in order to usher in this bright future.
