The importance of cannabis is increasing day by day after its legalization in many countries. The demand for cannabis is increasing. As the use of cannabis is increasing in the medical field.
CBD is the main component of cannabis that has medical importance. As CBD is used in the medical field. The purity, efficacy, and safety of the CBD product are very important. That’s why different medical and industrial tests of cannabis products are done.
Moreover, the testing of the CBD products is necessary to ensure that the concentration of THC will not exceed 0.3% in CBD products. Because the percentage of THC above 0.3% is illegal.
That is the reason CBD products are tested before marketing to ensure the safety of consumers. If you want to start a business related to CBD, you must know the procedure of the testing requirements of the CBD products.
Why is the Independent Testing of CBD Products Necessary Before Selling?
For most of the new other industries, independent testing is not necessarily the reason as they are according to the FDA regulations. But for CBD there is no proper regulatory system.
That’s the reason you must have to provide samples of your CBD products to a third party for testing. This will fulfill the role the FDA plays. The main purpose of the CBD products tests from the lab is to get unbiased results of your CBD products about their purity, safety, and quality.
Some main reasons and benefit of independent testing of your CBD products before selling are;
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To prove that your CBD product is 100% pure.
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To prove that your CBD product does not include any psychoactive components.
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Customer confidence.
To Prove that Your CBD Product is 100% Pure.
When you launch your CBD products in a market you say that the CBD products you are selling are 100% pure. Customers do not believe in your wording; they want proof.
As they are paying for something it's their right to know that it was pure and safe especially when the product is a concern with their health. So, as you tested your CBD products from any third-party or independent laboratory you get a certificate about the purity and safety of your CBD products.
Now you can claim on your CBD product label with proof that your CBD product is tested and is 100% pure and safe.
To prove that your CBD product does not include any psychoactive components.
As everyone knows that the CBD is extracted from hemp plants. In hemp plants, THC is also present which causes some psychoactive effects.
So, before purchasing CBD products customers want to be sure that they don’t feel any psychoactive effects after using this CBD product.
That’s why a test of the CBD products from the third-party lab is necessary.
Customers Confidence:
The last but not the least reason why independent testing of CBD products is necessary is to build up customer's confidence.
If you test your CBD products by yourself one may doubt. On the other hand, when you do test your CBD products from a third party you have proof that your CBD product is completely pure and safe.
This helps to develop the confidence of your customers in you.
These are some main reasons why independent testing is required for CBD products.
Guideline for CBD Products Testing:
It is necessary to test your CBD products before selling them. So, for this purpose, your main concern is the selection of the laboratory that not just does CBD testing according to the laws of the FDA but also provides accurate results.
Different laboratories have set different criteria for testing, use different procedures, and test different components in the CBD products.
There is a list of the components that must be tested before taking your CBD product to the market. These are given as:
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Cannabinoid percentage.
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Pesticides screening.
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Terpene testing.
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Moisture content.
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Heavy metal analysis.
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Yeast and Mold count.
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Mycotoxin analysis.
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Solvent residuals.
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Foreign matter analysis.
Not all laboratories do tests of all these components. Only a few laboratories offer testing services for all these components. So, for selecting the laboratory for CBD products it should be checked that they offer to test all these components.
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Cannabinoid Percentage.
For the cannabinoid percentage test, the techniques used are HPLC (High-Performance Liquid Chromatography) and GC (Gas Chromatography).
It is said that almost 113 types of cannabinoids are present but only two CBD and THC have importance. So, the percentage of only these two is tested to get accurate results.
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Pesticides Screening.
Like other plants pesticides are also sprayed on the hemp plants. If any traces remain in the finishing product it causes health hazards. This is the reason pesticides test or screening is done to check any traces.
For pesticide screening, the techniques mostly used are gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy.
Sometimes labs do not provide you pesticide screening tests they ask you to get a report about pesticide screening from the supplier. So, make sure that the lab you select for testing CBD products must provide this test facility.
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Terpene Testing.
Terpenes are the chemically aromatic compounds present in cannabis. They are present in a very small amount and are responsible for the characteristic smell and taste of CBD products.
The techniques used to test the amount of terpene in CBD products are gas chromatography and mass spectroscopy.
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Moisture Content.
Moisture in water content in the cannabis favors the growth of the microorganisms. The higher percentage of moisture content causes health hazards. That’s why moisture content in CBD products is tested.
The technique used for testing moisture content is an analytical method named Loss on Drying.
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Heavy Metal Analysis.
During the manufacture of the CBD products metal tools are used so there is a chance that the final product may have some metal contamination.
Also, cannabis plants absorb some metals from the soil such as mercury, cadmium, lead, etc. If any of these traces are left in the final product this causes health hazards.
That’s why heavy metal analysis is done. Commonly used techniques to test heavy metals are Atomic absorption spectroscopy and Inductively coupled plasma Mass spectroscopy.
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Yeast and Mold Count.
Water content in cannabis results in the growth of naturally occurring bacteria and fungi. These are tested before taking the CBD products to the market.
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Mycotoxin Analysis.
The growth of the fungi in cannabis due to water content gives rise to other by-products such as mycotoxin. It is harmful to humans.
That’s why analysis of mycotoxin is done. For its analysis techniques used are gas chromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography.
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Solvent Residuals.
For extracting CBD from the cannabis plants solvents are used. So, there is a chance that some solvent traces are left in the final CBD product. The solvent residues left in the CBD products cause allergic reactions and headaches.
For detecting the solvent residuals in the CBD products different types of gas chromatography and mass spectrometer techniques are used.
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Foreign Matter Analysis.
During the extraction of CBD or the formation of the final CBD product. There is a chance that some foreign matter mixes with the product.
So, for the safety and transparency of the CBD product foreign matter analysis is done.
Industrial Tests Requirements for CBD Products:
As CBD is a rapidly growing industry. The demand for CBD products also increases. If you want to start the CBD business although it is very profitable at the same time it requires your time and efforts.
The CBD products are not only tested before marketing like other medical products but during the growth of the hemp plants, the water content and soil are also tested to make sure about the quality of the hemp plants.
At the industrial level two things are tested that are:
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Soil.
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Water.
Test your water source and soil hotspot for plant development that includes components such as; Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and micronutrients.
This is significant data so you can upgrade the plant development of this high-esteem crop. Your harvest may require taking care for the duration of its life cycle, and these necessities may change contingent on the development stage.
Conclusion:
All the details about the requirements of the medical and industrial test for your CBD products are mentioned above. If you skip any one of the tests it affects the reputation of your CBD business.
Thus, all the tests discussed above must be compulsory for your CBD products. The tests not just reflect the purity and safety of your CBD products but also improves the reputation of your CBD business.
