How independent third-party CBD testing works and why it's important
Finding quality CBD products is a challenge for even the most informed customers. That's where third-party testing comes in. The CBD manufacturer will send a sample of their product to an independent testing company. This company will conduct its own tests and provide the results.
This practice increases trust in the CBD manufacturer because the third-party company is less likely to lie about the results of its lab tests. Many of these companies are highly regarded in the industry and their reputation is maintained by providing consistent and accurate testing.
In this article, we will discuss how third-party testing works, what it is typically tested for, and discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of this practice.
The importance of independent (third-party) laboratory testing
The whole purpose of third party (independent lab) testing is to provide an objective analysis of CBD products. These tests are used to indicate the quality, purity and potency of a CBD sample. Third party testing is essential in today's market.
The entire CBD space today is highly unregulated, making it easy for companies to lie about the quality or efficacy of their products. Some companies do this in order to profit from low-quality (or even contaminated) cannabis. Other companies exaggerate cannabinoid profile data to boost sales.
It can be difficult to tell the difference between companies with strong integrity and a good product and companies offering almost toxic products.
Any good producer knows that an industry full of scammers and false advertising will not help them in the long run. Indeed, if this situation persists, governments may decide to intervene and, as a precautionary measure, make all processes much more difficult.
This is why many manufacturers pay large sums out of their own pockets to have their products tested by an independent laboratory. These companies publish the lab results for each batch to publicly show that what they advertise on the bottle is what you are really getting.
This is a strong indicator of honesty. Companies that don't keep up with their product testing don't get in trouble with regulators, but it's not a good sign of honesty with customers. The question then becomes, "What are they hiding?"
The conclusion is that if you can't find third-party lab tests publicly on a company's website, switch to another company's products.
What do third-party testing companies focus on?
An independent lab can test a number of different things. Each test must be performed separately and varies in cost. Here are the most common tests performed by third-party labs on CBD products:
1. Cannabinoid profiles
The most common test performed by a third-party lab is cannabinoid profile testing. Using specialized testing techniques such as high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), the concentration of cannabinoids, including CBD, THC, CBC, CBG, CBN and others, can be quantified. This is used to confirm that the amount of CBD stated on the bottle is accurate.
Cannabinoid profiles are also important to verify that it matches the stated THC content. If THC levels are too high, the product may be psychoactive. This is undesirable and can be dangerous if the buyer does not expect their CBD products to have psychoactive effects. This can lead to a hefty fine or jail time if the user is caught driving or operating machinery while under the influence of THC, even if it was unintentional.
2. Terpene profiles
Terpenes are small volatile compounds abundant in the plant world. These compounds are responsible for the characteristic smell of the cannabis plant and many other plants, including lemons, oranges, roses, tea plants and pines.
Many of the therapeutic benefits of the cannabis plant depend on the terpenes contained in the plant. Some enhance the absorption of other cannabinoids such as CBD, while others offer their own therapeutic benefits in relation to the relaxing, sedative or stimulant effects, or anti-nausea effects of CBD products.
Terpenes generally only show up in CBD products made from full-spectrum extracts, as they need to be removed during the manufacturing process of CBD isolates.
Therefore, only companies selling CBD products made from full-spectrum extracts also have their terpene content tested by third-party laboratories. However, even among these companies, terpene testing is rather rare.
3. Heavy metals
Cannabis is a bioaccumulator. This means that it has the ability to extract nutrients from the soil and concentrate them in the stems and leaves. Unfortunately, this means that it also concentrates harmful compounds from the soil, such as heavy metals. If consumed, these compounds can cause inflammation and destruction of cellular structures in the body and should be avoided at all costs.
As soil contamination is becoming more common, it is very important to watch out for heavy metal contamination in herbal supplements, especially those made from bioaccumulators such as cannabis.
Most testing facilities look for the presence of the following heavy metals:
4. Organic solvents
Testing for organic solvents is less common today as most CBD producers no longer use solvents to extract cannabinoids from the hemp plant. Newer technologies, such as supercritical CO2 extraction, are much safer than solvent-based extraction because achieving efficient extraction does not require the use of toxic solvents.
However, many third-party laboratories will test for the presence of organic solvents to ensure that products are free of these harmful compounds.
5. Biological contaminants
The last item that third-party laboratories will test for is biological contaminants. This includes molds, fungi, parasites, and bacteria that may have infected the plant material. If contaminated cannabis goes through the extraction process, it will also contaminate the final product.
Biological contaminants can cause allergic reactions or direct harm to the end user. It is very important that any CBD products you consume are free of these contaminants.
How does third party testing work?
Testing of CBD products can be done in several different ways and there are no official regulations defining how companies must test these products. This makes HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) the industry standard due to its cost-effectiveness and high accuracy.
1. HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) testing
HPLC is the standard method used to test the concentration of cannabinoids in the cannabis plant. It works as follows:
- A small sample is dissolved in a solvent (usually ethanol). Once dissolved, it is placed in a long thin tube and the pressure is increased. This causes all the individual compounds to separate according to their weight. The heavier molecules sink while the lighter compounds float.
- At the end of the tube is a small exit hole for the compounds to exit and a UV detector. The density of the compounds leaving the tube is determined by their density as measured by their ability to absorb UV light. THC and CBD have different densities and therefore leave the end of the tube at different times.
- As the different compounds leave the tube one after the other, their quantity is measured. By comparing the amount of each density leaving the tube with the known densities of the different cannabinoids, we can obtain the exact concentrations of each.
2. PCR (polymerase chain reaction) testing
PCRs are a fast and inexpensive testing option primarily used to test for biological contamination. This type of testing analyzes DNA strands in a sample and compares them to known DNA patterns of bacterial, fungal, and protozoal infections.
Depending on what species are present and in what quantity, third-party laboratories can provide information on how contaminated the sample is.
3. MS testing (mass spectrometry)
Mass spectrometry is performed by first ionising the test sample. Once the ionisation is complete, the sample is passed through electromagnetic fields. This separates the individual components and plots them on a graph. By comparing where each compound falls on the graph with known masses, we can identify the individual compounds in the test sample.
MS testing is primarily used to identify the presence of heavy metal contaminants, but can also be used to identify cannabinoid profiles.
4. NMR testing (nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy)
Samples are placed in a magnetic field and then bombarded with radio waves. Changes in the magnetic fields can be used to determine the presence of different compounds in each sample.
These tests are much faster than HPLC and require less solvent to perform, so they are also significantly cheaper. Unfortunately, NMR is not nearly as accurate as HPLC.
How much does third party testing cost?
The cost of cannabis testing can vary greatly depending on the lab, the type of tests performed, and the number of tests performed. Most companies charge around 1,000 crowns for a single test on a sample.
For more complex testing involving several different types of tests, package prices can range from 2,000 to 10,000 crowns. Investing low costs to test products from other suppliers is quite reasonable so that companies have independent test results for each batch of product they sell.
Despite the cost-effectiveness of cannabis testing, a staggering number of companies are taking this step. Why buy CBD only from companies that publicly provide third party test results. A company is not required to have third party testing in order to sell their products. Most of the top CBD producers do this anyway. This is a great sign of a company's credibility.
Anyone can buy cheap hemp oil and slap an attractive label on it. They can advertise any cannabinoid profile. Nobody verifies these claims. Unfortunately, this means that there is a lot of low-quality CBD oil on the market. Companies sell oils with minute levels of CBD content as "highly potent" or even offer oils contaminated with mold, bacteria, pesticides, or heavy metals that may actually be harmful to your health.
If a manufacturer goes to great lengths to produce superior products, the only way to truly prove it and separate themselves from unethical manufacturers is through independent lab testing. These companies test their products for the presence of pesticides or solvents, verify cannabinoid profiles, terpene profiles, and also check for possible heavy metal contamination.
In an industry where CBD is so unregulated, we strongly recommend only buying from companies that actively test their products in independent labs.
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