Testing for Microbes in Cannabis
Everything around us, including the air we breathe, harbors bacteria, yeast, and mold. Many of these microbes are not problematic when at acceptable levels, although some are toxic even in small amounts. Microbials pose significant and dangerous health threats when inhaled or ingested.
As a plant that’s home to a robust microbiome, cannabis can present particular concern for those with sensitivities to microbials. This is compounded by the humid, high-temperature climate that some cultivars thrive in, which can create a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. Testing cannabis samples for these dangerous microbes is a crucial step before allowing cannabis flower and other products to reach the dispensary shelf.
What are microbials, and why does it matter for cannabis grow operations?
Microbials are microorganisms of varying types, some of which are beneficial to their environment and some of which are not good for human health. The vast category of microorganisms includes many types of microbials, including “good bacteria” and pathogenic bacteria.
The ideal conditions for certain cannabis cultivars, namely warmer and more humid grow environments, can be the perfect breeding ground for the germination of microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi, yeast, and molds.
In addition to grow room conditions, cannabis products can become contaminated with microbes at various points along the product supply chain, including during harvest, drying, curing, packaging, storage, transporting, and in final packaged products on retail shelves.
With so many areas of possibility to develop unsafe levels of microbial contamination, testing to ensure that these microbes are not present throughout the growth and manufacture of cannabis products is imperative, and will help ensure the final product is free of microbial contamination. Many grow operations and cannabis product manufacturers adhere to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) to help guarantee quality and consistency for this reason. GMP is imperative to helping to prevent microbial contamination in cannabis cultivation and product manufacture.
Can microbes be addressed during the cultivation process?
Cannabis cultivators invest significantly in sterile cultivation, drying, curing, and processing environments, as to minimize the introduction of microbes and other contaminants into the flower. Even while following the cleanest, state of the art GMP procedures, cannabis is bound to contain some levels of microbials. The question becomes how many, and at what levels, are they completely safe for people to ingest or inhale? That’s where third-party lab testing for microbes in cannabis becomes so important to ensure consumer and patient safety.
Are microbial tests required for New Jersey cannabis companies?
New Jersey requires that licensed cannabis cultivators and producers work with an accredited, third-party analytical laboratory like True Labs for Cannabis to test their products for several microbials. These tests check for microbials that pose a significant health threat to all consumers, including medically vulnerable patients in New Jersey’s medical marijuana program.
What True Labs for Cannabis tests for
It is important to ensure cannabis products are screened for microbials and do not pose health risks to consumers. True Labs for Cannabis will test for, identify and quantitate the following microbes and pathogens that pose dangerous health threats:
Yeast
Mold
Bacteria: aerobic, coliform
Aspergillus spp.
Salmonella spp.
E. coli
Shiga toxin producing E. coli (STEC)
Listeria monocytogenes
Why True Labs for Cannabis?
True Labs for Cannabis takes great pride in being fully dedicated to medical cannabis, adult-use cannabis, and industrial hemp in the Garden State. True Labs brings the most effective, cutting-edge, and advanced analytical laboratory testing techniques to the cannabis space, helping cultivators and processors throughout the Garden State meet the high standards set both by state regulations and the industry at large.
At our northern-central New Jersey headquarters, we offer state-of-the-art cannabis testing, both as packages designed by product type and as individual tests. Order full panel compliance tests from us for cannabis flower, concentrates, edibles, and topicals, or go a-la-carte and choose the tests that are best for your research and development (R&D) needs.
When you partner with True Labs for Cannabis, you’ll be partnering with a woman owned business. Our analytical laboratory is the first one in New Jersey owned by a woman, and few others across the U.S. can say the same. We are proud to play a role in closing the gender gap in the cannabis industry, and to do so while going above and beyond what’s required.