Essential lab
services for the
cannabis industry

Understanding the potency and cannabinoid profile of your product is key to delivering accurate dosing to consumers and patients. Cannabinoids may be beneficial for the treatment of pain, epilepsy, anxiety, inflammation, nausea and other health conditions. More than 100 different cannabinoids have been discovered to date, with new ones still being identified through ongoing research. We utilize HPLC instrumentation to determine the levels of a variety of cannabinoids.

Pesticides make their way into cannabis through direct application to the plant, or during nutrient and water uptake when the chemicals are in the soil. Pesticides can be harmful if present at high enough levels, and can be converted to other toxic byproducts upon combustion. Analysis of the 66 pesticides required by the California BCC is performed in our lab using LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS.

Cannabis products may be susceptible to contamination by mycotoxins during cultivation, storage, or processing. As natural byproducts of several mold species, aflatoxins and ochratoxins present serious health risks to humans and animals – including liver toxicity, immune suppression, and cancer. Our lab tests for four aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1, and G2) and ochratoxin A using LC-MS/MS.

Microbes are present everywhere in the environment, and most do not present any concern for human health. Our lab performs specific DNA-based testing for Shiga toxin–producing Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Aspergillus fumigatus, flavus, niger and terreus as required by the California BCC. These are species of bacteria and fungus which could be harmful if ingested.

Hop Latent Viroid has recently been found to be quite prevalent, but it’s often undiagnosed and is commonly mistaken for nutritional deficiencies or pest damage. Early detection and elimination of infected plants can prevent it from spreading to unaffected plants. The Niva Labs can test for Hop Latent Viroid so you can keep healthy plants from becoming infected, which can be devastating to your entire operation. The most severe symptom is the dudding of clones. Infected plants may show yellow spotting on mature leaves, stunted growth, low bud yields, with low cannabinoid and terpene content.

When molds, fungus and pathogenic microbes enter your cultivation site the result is unhealthy products and failed compliance testing. To prevent or eliminate this, we can come to your current or future cultivation or manufacturing site, assess potential breeding grounds, and take samples back to our lab to test for over 40 types of microbes. Once we have the results, we will offer suggestions to eliminate the source and prevent recurrence based on our findings and the layout of your facility.