Lab reports can be an absolute bore and I’m here to share how a Certificate of Analysis (COA) is one of the most important pieces of paper for your business! It will help guide your formulations and keep those cute little federal regulatory agencies out of your hair. It’s also a great piece of information for consumers because it outlines the cannabinoid contents of the product. We’ll explore general definitions, how to read a Certificate of Analysis, why it is so important, and provide examples through out.
What is a Certificate of Analysis?
A COA, or Certificate of Analysis, is a lab report that provides testing results of a product. COAs can be completed in-house if a brand has its own equipment or, preferred, completed by a third-party testing facility that will certify the results of the product.
Why Are COAs Important?
COAs are important because they showcase the product’s safety, quality and compliance. At MC Nutraceuticals, we take pride in providing you up to date and accurate information. In fact, we have a Public Shared Folder with our current COAs as well as Archives. Maintaining these records for you highlights that we’ve cared about our products since the inception of our organization and we’re not stopping anytime soon!
How to Read a Certificate of Analysis
1) Start with the Date.
The date of the Certificate of Analysis is important to ensure the results are recent. Some tinctures, softgels, and edibles have accompanying shelf stability tests showing 26+ months before product degradation. Flower, on the other hand, can stay fresh from six to twelve months if stored properly.
2) Check Potency.
Potency is important because it is the quality, strength or power of a substance. The substances that we’re reviewing are cannabinoids.
Let’s look at CBD Isolate. Isolates are the purified forms of the cannabinoids and should be 99% of the cannabinoid or higher.
Next up, CBD Full Spectrum Distillate. As we learned in our CBG vs CBD post, Full Spectrum Distillates contain all cannabinoids and terpenes from the crude oil with the waxes and discolorations removed, which is why we see that the CBD content is 83.9% and Total Cannabinoid Content is 93.3%.
3) Check Total Δ9-THC Content.
We operate in the regulated hemp industry and The 2018 Farm Bill does not allow us to have more than .3% Δ9-THC on a dry-weight basis in our products. If it’s higher than .3% Δ9-THC on a dry-weight basis, the product is illegal. Some might also call it a ‘hot’ product. Not because they’re tall, dark and handsome, it’s because a product is deemed ‘hot’ when the total Δ9-THC content is higher than the legal limit of .3%, again, according to The 2018 Farm Bill.
Using the % by Weight Column, we look at the percentage of the weight because that’s how it’s written in the bill, not the milligram per gram count in the other column. This is super very extra important when it comes to hemp bill compliant product testing.
4) Limit of Quantitation.
LOQ is the smallest amount of the substance detected. Here, many compounds are below the Percentage by Weight as well as milligram per gram because the Limit of Quantitation is negligible. Both delta 8-THC and CBN are present and showing in the total cannabinoid contents of the product.
5) There are 2 types of Certificates of Analysis, Potency and Full Panel.
Potency COAs will showcase the percentages of the cannabinoids whereas Full Panel COAs include the Potency AND Residual Solvents, Heavy Metals, Microbials, as well as Pesticides. We want to purchase products and formulate with Full Panel COAs that outline Non-Detect, ND, for Residual Solvents, Heavy Metals, Microbials, and Pesticides.
6) Check the Signature.
This is the stamp of legitimacy from the third-party lab ⭐
7.) List of General Acronyms
ND: Not Detected. Particle or substance is not present in the sample.
NT: Not Tested. Particle or substance is not tested in the sample.
LOD: Limit of Detection. Lowest concentration of a substance that can be detected.
LOQ: Limit of Quantification. Smallest amount of the substance detected.
RL: Reporting Limit. Lowest concentration of a substance.
How to Locate a Certificate of Analysis
Reputable companies have COAs available for you in up to 3 places:
Websites:
We have our COAs available on our website for bulk cannabinoid ingredients. Companies can have a tab at the top of their website listed as Lab Reports, for example.
Packaging:
If you buy a vape or pre-roll, look for a QR code to scan.
Bottles:
Since people throw away packaging, companies now put scannable QR codes on their bottles for COA access.
Can’t find the COA on the website, packaging or bottle? Safety first! Do not buy the product.
Thinking About Creating Your Own Formula? Here’s How!
Let’s say that you’re interested in making 1,000 1oz tincture bottles that have 1500mg CBD per bottle and you’re using an isolate for the CBD. (Also, heads up, a 1oz bottle is the same as a 30mL bottle.)
In general, isolates are around 99% of the particular cannabinoid so if we’re using the examples from above, 99.1% is 100% for all intents and purposes.
If you’re making 1,000 bottles of a 1 oz tincture that’s 1500mg CBD, you would need 1.5 kilos of CBD Isolate (1,000 bottles x 1500mg).
Done and done.
Now using the full spectrum distillate from above for the same goal:
If you’re making 1,000 bottles of a 1 oz tincture that’s 1500mg total cannabinoid content, here we go …
100% – 83.9% = 16.1% (to get the difference)
1500 x 1.161 (1500mg is the CBD we need in the product and the .161 is that 16.1% variance)
1741.5 mg needed of that full spec CBD distillate
1000 bottles x 1741.5 = 1.7415 kilos needed. (Round up to 1.8 kilos)
1.8 kilos of Full Spectrum CBD Distillate are needed to hit the 1500mg per 1oz bottle in a 1,000 bottle run.
Simple as that.
Some Random Fun Facts about COAs
- The FDA, or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is the governing body that is responsible for protecting the public health by assuring the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, medical devices, our nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation. This public health agency allows for 20% margin of error when it comes to nutrition labeling.
- If a snack label says that there are 10g of sugar in the package, there is a range from 8g to 12g of actual sugar in the snack and that snack is in compliance. If there are 7g or 13g of sugar in the snack, then the product is out of compliance. If a label says that there are 500g of sugar in a package, the range could be from 400g to 600g of sugar in the product and it is within compliance.
- In the State of Colorado, there is a 15% margin of error allowance on marijuana infused products. If an edible purchased in a state licensed dispensary says that it has 25g THC and it tests at 22g, it’s within compliance. If it tests at 19g, out of compliance. If you are purchasing a hemp derived product online, it falls under the FDA-regulated 20% allowance so it’s important to review the label, COA and third-party testing lab.
- If a tincture label says that it has 1800mg of the cannabinoid, it’s allowed to have 1440mg of the cannabinoid. If you are paying attention to nutrition, be mindful that the 50 calories per serving of chocolate could be 60 calories per serving and be compliant.
Ready to Formulate?
WOO HOO! The MC Nutraceuticals team cannot wait to help. Please call 1.800.685.8084 or email us at sales@mcnutraceuticals.com and we got you!