Other R&D

Terpene testing applies to isolated aromatic fractions — whether cannabis-derived or botanical — submitted as ingredients for formulation rather than as finished goods. These are the compounds that shape aroma and flavour across the product range.

For terpene submissions, important details include:

• Source: cannabis-derived or botanical
• Isolation method and any dilution carrier
• Target profile or blend specification
• Products the terpenes will be formulated into
• Storage temperature and container type

Terpenes are volatile by nature, so results depend on how the sample was stored and how quickly it reached the laboratory. When a blend is destined for inhalable products, the analysis also covers what came along with it — residual solvent from isolation, and whether a botanical blend genuinely matches the cannabis profile it claims to reproduce.

Common submissions include: cannabis-derived terpenes, botanical blends, strain-specific profiles, and formulation stock.

Hemp testing applies to cannabis cultivated to stay below the 0.3% total THC threshold that separates hemp from marijuana in most jurisdictions. Here the analytical result does not describe the product — it determines what the product legally is.

For hemp submissions, important details include:

• Cultivar and certified seed source
• Planting date and days from harvest
• Field or lot identification for traceability
• Whether the sample is pre-harvest or post-harvest
• Intended market: fiber, seed, smokable, or extraction

Total THC is calculated from delta-9 THC plus THCA converted at its decarboxylation factor, not from delta-9 alone. A crop reading comfortably under the limit on delta-9 can still exceed it once THCA is accounted for, which is the most common reason a compliant-looking field fails.

Common submissions include: pre-harvest field samples, smokable hemp flower, fiber and seed lots, and CBD extraction feedstock.

Air samples taken inside cultivation and processing rooms, used to track airborne mould and yeast counts between compliance cycles.

Growing media screened for heavy metals and residual pesticides, so a contamination problem is found in the soil rather than in the finished flower.

Surface swabs from equipment, benches and packaging lines, used to verify that a sanitation programme is actually working.

Rinse solution recovered from containers before filling, checked for residues that would otherwise carry into a finished batch.

Cartridges, vessels and other contact hardware analysed for heavy metals that can leach into the product they hold.