How Do Third-Party Lab Technicians Scan CBD Products? – Medical Marijuana Program Connection

Read the original article about How Third-Party Lab Technicians Scan CBD Products at Real Tested CBD.

Real Tested CBD always stresses the importance of getting quality third-party lab tests with your CBD oil. Although many customers understand why they should place a great emphasis on Certificates of Analysis (COAs), it’s common to have questions about the accuracy of these tests. How can scientists tell the precise ratio of compounds in various hemp extracts? Are some CBD testing procedures better than others?

Although CBD lab analysis can get pretty technical, we’ll do our best to explain the top techniques accredited labs now use to determine a CBD oil’s purity.

There are a few ways technicians could figure out what’s in a CBD product, but “High-Performance Liquid Chromatography” (HPLC) is the industry standard. While that may sound super complex, HPLC is basically a procedure that involves exposing CBD oil to a solvent and pressure. Combining these forces helps to separate cannabinoids, terpenes, and flavonoids.

Since different compounds have different weights, researchers can calculate the relative percentages of each molecule with surprising accuracy. Typically, labs will use advanced UV technology to get a clear picture of your CBD oil’s average cannabinoid counts.

While chromatography is a preferred method for examining cannabinoids, it usually falls short when scanning for potentially toxic compounds. For this reason, third-party labs may employ…