Cannabis that is grown outside ideal temperature and humidity conditions can develop mold during growth. Improper conditions during the drying process can also result in mold growth. Common molds found in improperly handled cannabis include Cladosporium, Penicillium, Alternaria, Aspergillus and Mucur. Bacteria associated with cannabis include E.coli, Salmonella and Listeria. Molds produce toxins that can result in serious health concerns including cancer, bronchpulmonary complications, sinusitis and gastrointestinal problems. CannTest, LLC will use a process developed by the U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention and detailed in their US 2021 and USP 61 documents. The U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) is a scientific nonprofit organization that since 1820 has set standards for the identity, strength, quality, and purity of medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements manufactured, distributed and consumed worldwide. Testing utilizing this process will allow ensure that cannabis that has been produced without using sound agricultural practices to prevent the development of mold and bacteria will not make it to the shelves of Alaska’s dispensaries.
The Marijuana Control Board currently requires testing for the following bacteria and fungi.
CannTest LLC will use quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to conduct testing for bacteria and molds. qPCR is a relatively new method which provides significant advantages over plate culture techniques which had previously been the standard for microbiological testing. Plate culture techniques take up to seven days to produce results, and those results are subject to human interpretation. qPCR produces results in few hours through using a thermostable enzyme to double the quantity of a short specific part of the target microbe (E-Coli, Salmonella, etc.) DNA in successive heating/cooling cycles. In every cycle the number of short specific sections of DNA is doubled, leading to an exponential amplification of targets. The amplified DNA is fluorescently labeled and the amount of the fluorescence released during amplification can be measured in direct proportion to the amount of amplified DNA. The higher the initial number of DNA molecules in the sample, the faster the fluorescence will increase during the successive qPCR cycles. In other words, if a sample contains more DNA targets, the fluorescence will be detected in earlier cycles.
The number of cycles required to produce a given amount of flourescence is termed quantitation cycle (Ct for short) and is the basic data output unit of qPCR. The lower Ct values mean higher initial copy numbers of the target DNA. CannTest, LLC will use this fast and accurate method of qPCR to perform all required microbiological testing.
CannTest LLC will use quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to conduct testing for bacteria and molds. qPCR is a relatively new method which provides significant advantages over plate culture techniques which had previously been the standard for microbiological testing. Plate culture techniques take up to seven days to produce results, and those results are subject to human interpretation. qPCR produces results in few hours through using a thermostable enzyme to double the quantity of a short specific part of the target microbe (E-Coli, Salmonella, etc.) DNA in successive heating/cooling cycles. In every cycle the number of short specific sections of DNA is doubled, leading to an exponential amplification of targets. The amplified DNA is fluorescently labeled and the amount of the fluorescence released during amplification can be measured in direct proportion to the amount of amplified DNA. The higher the initial number of DNA molecules in the sample, the faster the fluorescence will increase during the successive qPCR cycles. In other words, if a sample contains more DNA targets, the fluorescence will be detected in earlier cycles.
The number of cycles required to produce a given amount of flourescence is termed quantitation cycle (Ct for short) and is the basic data output unit of qPCR. The lower Ct values mean higher initial copy numbers of the target DNA. CannTest, LLC will use this fast and accurate method of qPCR to perform all required microbiological testing.
