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Equipment Information/Calibration

Cannalytics strives to provide the most transparent, reliable, accurate and precise cannabis testing results in the state of Michigan. To this end, we have all of our equipment regularly validated by a third-party with standards traceable to NIST.

Here is the latest calibration and perfomance data for our equipment:

What is Method Validation?

"Validation of an analytical method is the process by which it is established by laboratory studies, that the performance characteristics of the method meet the requirements for the intended analytical application (1)."

"Validation is required for any new method to ensure that it is capable of giving reliable and reproducible results. The parameters for validation rely entirely on the specific method that is chosen (2)."

Cannalytics is commited to providing the following metrics to our clients. Data will be added as it becomes available.

Validation - Precision

"The precision of an analytical method is the degree of agreement among individual test results obtained when the method is applied to multiple sampling of a homogenous sample (1)."

The precision of our HPLC was determined by calculating the Relative Standard Deviation (RSD) of cannabinoid standard signals taken over time. This allows us to determine the agreement between tests performed on different days. For validation, each RSD must be less than 5%.

Cannabinoid %RSD Intra-day (N=4) %RSD Inter-day (N=15)
CBD 0.49 2.05
CBN 0.77 3.02
THC 1.04 2.55
THCA 0.26 4.62

*the data above was generated from cannabinoid standards that were run every 5 samples during analyses on 4 separate days over a two week period; standards were injected at 0.25 mg/mL; see chromatograms

Validation - Linearity & Range

Linearity is the method's ability to obtain results, which are directly proportional to the concentration of the analyte within a given range.

Linearity is measured by calculating the regression line of the calibration curve. Each calibration curve was linear and analyzed from 2.5ug to 10ug cannabinoid per injection.

*the data above was generated from cannabinoid standards that were injected a minimum of two times per volume at 0.25 mg each cannabinoid per mL; see chromatograms

Validation - Specificity

"The specificity of an analytical method is its ability to measure accurately and specifically the analyte in the presence of components that may be expected to be present in the sample matrix (1)."

The HPLC system resolves components based on retention time. the interval of time between the instant of injection and the detection of the analyte is known as the retention time. Each cannabinoid has specific and unique retention times. Retention time data was collected over multiple days and multiple injections.

Cannabinoid Retention Time (RT) RT %RSD (in minutes; N=15)
CBD 4.29 0.28
CBN 5.15 0.34
THC 5.79 0.38
THCA 6.67 0.45

*the data above was generated from cannabinoid standards that were run every 5 samples during analyses on 4 separate days over a two week period; standards were injected at 0.25 mg/mL; see chromatograms

Chemical Reference Standards

Here are the Certificates of Analysis for each reference standard used by Cannalytics for performing quantifications:

Literature Cited

  1. Validation of compendial assays-Guidelines Pharacopeial Convention, Rockville, MD. 1985.
  2. A guide to Validation in HPLC. Van iterson, R.A. Drenthe College. Emmmen, Holland.