When it comes to Cannabis Testing, it’s essential to know the truth behind your product. In the cannabis testing industry, Certificates of Analysis (CoA) are given to ensure the quality of the product. Unfortunately, many labs in the testing industry will alter CoA’s to reveal a different outcome. Suppose a company has asked a lab to falsify data, or growers display inaccurate lab results. In that case, this can lead to various problems with the product being overlooked and ultimately cause trouble down the line for both the company and the consumer. Products whose lab results have been altered can have too much THC, too little CBD, missing cannabinoids, contain harmful contaminants, or could have been tested in-house by the company or grower themselves rather than by an accredited third-party lab facility, leading to inaccuracy.
It’s an open secret that certain companies are willing to pay a lot of money for favorable lab testing results. In a Rolling Stone article, it was reported that Sacramento-based Sequoia Analytical Labs was forced to hand over its license after state regulators discovered it had been falsifying test results. Under the rules at that time, all cannabis products must be tested for 66 types of pesticides and other contaminants, like E. Coli, but Sequoia only tested for 44. As a result, all products tested by the lab and distributed to legal retailers were recalled and destroyed, but it’s likely that much of it had already been sold and consumed.
Kaycha Labs refuses to work with companies that do not adhere to a higher standard of testing. We partner with growers, processors, manufacturers and retailers that are fully committed to ethical and transparent Cannabis testing. When the product being grown, processed or sold at retail has the potential to be contaminated, it could lead to consumer illness or even death. That is why Kaycha welcomes federal and state regulators to require accurate lab testing of Cannabis products.
“There are good labs out there that get blamed for incorrect results when the methods that were applied for the testing were never meant to test every material that a client submits,” explained Chris Martinez, President of Kaycha Labs. “The methods commonly used in Cannabis Testing are only validated for specific material types. Most clients will go back to a lab and ask for follow-up support to see why they got the results that they did.”
What is a Certificate of Analysis (CoA)?
A CoA is a document supplied by an accredited laboratory that clearly labels the various cannabinoids, terpenoids, and possible contaminants (to include residual solvents, heavy metals, pesticides, mycotoxins, and microbiological contaminants) within a specified Cannabis product. A CoA gives both the company and the consumer reassurance that the product being tested is of good quality. This documentation is just as necessary as the product itself, as it ensures quality control and accurate testing practices. According to Martinez, “Contract lab testing is a partnership between the lab and the client. It should be no different than going to a restaurant and telling the server that there is something wrong with the order.”
What Testing Services Does Kaycha Offer?
When it comes to Cannabis Testing, accuracy is vital, and no detail is too small! We test all Cannabis products for potency, terpenes, pesticides, heavy metals, residual solvents, microbials, mycotoxins, lipids, nutrient content, environmental factors, overall shelf-life, and more. Here is a bit of information about some of the different tests that we perform.
Potency Testing
Kaycha Labs goes beyond testing normal potency levels by providing detailed cannabinoid profiling across fourteen other components, including CBD, CBL, THC isomers, and CBN. All potency tests are validated by the company’s Cannabis certification program that exceeds AOAC, WHO, and all state-testing requirements.
Terpenes Testing
Kaycha Labs uses gas chromatography (GC) to identify and quantify 28 distinct terpenoid analytes, which provides consumers with information to help them choose the products that taste and smell best to them.
Pesticides Testing
Kaycha Labs pesticide testing procedures detect ultra-low amounts of pesticides to help keep users safe and healthy.
Heavy Metals Testing
Kaycha Labs tests for harmful heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury that must be removed from final products in order to ensure no serious health risks will result when inhaled or ingested.
Residual Solvents Testing
Kaycha Labs uses gas chromatography (GC) with mass spectrometry (MS) and a headspace autosampler to quantify harmful volatile solvents, impurities, or adulterants down to sub parts-per-million (PPM) concentrations.
Microbials Testing
Kaycha Labs uses PCR as well as confirmatory plating to test for bacteria for Microbial testing. Using both PCR and plating gives Kaycha the advantages of both methods to ensure confirmatory testing methods are always accurate.
Mycotoxins Testing
Kaycha Labs use liquid chromatography (LC) with mass spectrometry (MS) to test for mycotoxins that are not visible to the naked eye to ensure the health and safety of the consumer.
Lipids Testing
Kaycha Labs uses combinations of liquid chromatography with mass spectrometric detection and gas chromatography with mass spectrometric detection to detect lipids that may cause damage to the lungs if not removed.
Nutrient Content Testing
Kaycha Labs uses inductively coupled plasmas to measure both the macro and micronutrient levels of Cannabis tissues to more effectively monitor future crops’ health.
Environmental Factors Testing
Kaycha Labs helps growers safeguard against contamination by providing an array of tests. Once contaminants and nutritional deficiencies have been identified, protocols to remove pollutants or add chemical elements essential to plant nutrition, growth, and survival can be introduced.
Shelf-Life Testing
Kaycha has testing facilities that conduct WHO and FDA compliant stability and shelf-life studies as well as the corresponding analytical testing to evaluate the effects of storage conditions.
Where are Kaycha Labs Located?
At Kaycha Labs, we know how important it is to provide quality testing on Cannabis products, which is why we proudly offer our testing services across a growing network of state-of-the-art labs. Our testing labs are located in California, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, New York, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, so we are fully accessible for all testing needs. We use innovative technology paired with thorough research to ensure quality and accuracy every time. Each of our labs can provide customers with a 48-hour turnaround on testing services. Each lab is fully equipped with the newest Shimaduzu equipment, the latest automation equipment, and our lab in Davie, Florida holds the first ISO accreditation throughout the State of Florida with our Gainesville, Florida lab holding the first CTML accreditation in the state.
Hemp testing is offered at our California, Kentucky, New York, and Tennessee locations, while both Hemp and Cannabis testing are offered at our Colorado, Florida, and Oklahoma locations.
By providing the nation with a variety of labs throughout several states, our goal is to partner with Hemp/Marijuana growers, processors, manufacturers and retailers throughout the country and offer expertise in the field of Cannabis Testing – delivering quality results every time.
Cannabis is medicine and a business, which is why providing quality testing that supports the quality of the product is vital. Partnering with an accredited and reputable lab ensures the best results that are thorough, accurate, and reproducible in testing your products. Our commitment to excellence is why Kaycha Labs is America’s first choice in Cannabis Testing. Our labs provide the most reliable and consistent testing services in the industry.
CANNABIS TESTING
