Lab Reports Thumbnail Image

Your Guide to Green Lotus™ Lab Reports

Hello! It’s a nice day here at Green Lotus™. The trees are green and waving in the wind, the birds are singing, and the people in the shops and parks are in no hurry to finish their business, taking the day one bit a time as days are meant to be taken.  

To the people and businesses who trust in us and support us, thank you. Thank you for believing in Green Lotus™, and trusting us, and inviting us to be part of your journey to wellness. We’re honored. (And we’re not intoxicated, either. Just stoked, my friends. Just stoked.)

Green Lotus Hemp Products

In a previous article, we announced a boat-load of new and exciting developments, including four new products and sustainable packaging made from 100% hemp paper.

Lost in the tumult were two major developments that we’re very proud of:

First, we’ve just finished designing easy-to-read lab reports for every product we sell. Second, we’ve made connecting to our lab reports simple by adding QR codes to our packaging.

The aim of today’s blog is to empower our customers to find their lab reports and to read their lab reports. That is the aim, and we shall hit the mark.

Have a smartphone? QR Codes Connect You to Lab Reports

A QR code, or “Quick Response Code,” is just like a regular bar code, except with a QR code your smartphone’s camera reads the code and takes you to a web address, all in the time it takes to scan a bag of chips.

To access our lab reports page, all you need is a smartphone, your product’s packaging and about twenty seconds.

(You can also visit the page directly at greenlotushemp.com/lab-results/)

Where Is the QR Code? Where is the Lot Code?

The QR code is located on the bottom of the packaging, and the Lot code number is located on the back. Check out these pictures:

Green Lotus Hemp Packaging Lot Number

Packaging to Lab Reports, in 20 seconds.

  1. Open smartphone camera and hover over QR code
  2. Click on “Website QR code”
  3. Type the Lot code into the search bar.

Done! (If you don’t have a smartphone handy, simply enter the URL directly below the QR code: “greenlotushemp.com/lab-results”)

I Threw Away My Packaging!

That’s okay. You can locate your product on the same lab results page by clicking on the appropriate drop down menu.

Let’s use an Orange 500 mg Tincture as an example, and take the process step by step. Go to greenlotushemp.com/lab-results, scroll down to “TINCTURE” and click the “Reveal lab results” tab.

The tab will expand to show a list of all of our tincture products, sorted by flavor. Click on “Orange Tincture 500 mg Lot 1903855.”

I Don’t Like Smartphones. I Don’t Like Technology. Self-Checkout Lines Are a Scam.

Call Alayna, our friendly customer advocate, at (888) 811 – HEMP (4367). 

How To Read Your Lab Report

There’s no getting around the fact that even our simplified lab reports are complex. Not overly complex, of course. But we can cut through the noise by breaking down the “Test” column into three categories:

Potency: CBD and THC Assay

Physical Characteristics: Physical State, Color, Smell and Taste

Purity: Bacteria, Yeast and Mold.

When we refer to specific results, we’ll be using our Orange 500 mg Tincture as an example.

1. Potency (CBD Assay and THC Assay)

“CBD Assay” and “THC Assay” are technical terms for a third party analysis of our hemp oil that determines its potency: the concentration of CBD, THC and other cannabinoids. If our oil fails the test, the batch is scrapped.

Green Lotus Hemp CBD Graphic

CBD Assay

In a CBD Assay, third-party labs test for the total CBD content in a batch (a batch’s potency). 

For our Orange 500 mg Tincture, we aim for around 16 mg/g, which translates into slightly less than 500 mg of CBD per bottle. Why slightly less? Because our full spectrum hemp oil also contains cannabinoids like CBC, CBG and CBDa. 

Green Lotus Hemp THC Graphic

THC Assay

In a THC Assay, third-party labs verify that each batch of hemp oil complies with the federally-mandated maximum THC-concentration 0.3% or lower.

Under “Results,” you can see that the THC concentration for our Orange Tinctures is 3x less than the maximum, coming in at 0.102%.

About the Method: HPLC

Third-party labs use HPLC, or High Performance Liquid Chromatography, to separate and identify compounds in a liquid solvent or mixture.

In our case, “compounds” refer to cannabinoids like CBD and THC. “Liquid solvent or mixture” refers to hemp oil.

HPLC analysis is precise; compounds can be identified at “trace concentrations as low as [one part per trillion].” [1]

2. Physical Characteristics: Is it oil? Does it taste good? Does it look good? Does it smell good?

Sentences are overrated:

Physical State? “Yes,” says the third party lab. “This is hemp oil, not lava, not grape juice, but hemp oil.”

Color? A lovely color.

Odor? Smells great.

Taste? Tastes delicious.

About the Method: Organoleptic

“Organoleptic” is a baffling, five-syllable adjective which means, “involving the use of sense organs or senses, esp. of smell and taste.” [2]

An “Organoleptic Analysis” describes the following actions: “We looked at the oil; we smelled the oil; we tasted the oil.”

You may be asking yourself, “Can I use organoleptic analysis?” That’s a great question. Yes, you can use organoleptic analysis, and use it in your day to day life, as well. Two week old milk is an excellent target for organoleptic analysis. Blueberry muffins, too, deserve analysis, if only for the sake of pleasure.

Author’s note: Organoleptic analysis can be controversial. Last Christmas, I organoleptically analyzed my aunt’s peach cobbler — alone, in secret, inside a linen closet.

It wasn’t enough to use a sample. Precision demanded that I analyze the whole cobbler.

Astoundingly, I was criticized. In return for my dedication to quality control? The slurred denunciations of a dozen family members, their rage amplified by Southern Comfort-infused Eggnog and cheap Cabernet.

Dan Aykroyd Drunk Santa Gif

3. Purity: No Bacteria. No Yeast. No Mold.

Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli (E. coli),  and Coliforms

Salmonella and E. coli are species of bacteria, while “coliforms” is short-hand for a broad class of bacteria found in what mature people call fecal matter, and what we call poo.  

Altogether, these three tests assess the level of harmful bacteria in a consumable, non-sterile product. [3]

The coliform test is especially useful because it indicates the presence of disease-causing organisms which are hard to detect individually. [4]

Bile-Tolerant Gram-Negative Bacteria Count

A “bile-tolerant” organism can survive in the human stomach, which makes testing for these class of bacteria a priority.   Sustained exposure to high levels of BTGNs can lead to toxic reactions, increased respiratory rate and high blood pressure. [5]

For a sample to be deemed safe, it may have no more than 10,000 CFU/g (“Culture Forming Units” per gram.)

Our Orange 500 mg tincture has less than 20 CFU/g.

That’s 500 times less than the nationally-recognized standard.   

About the Method: USP 62 Modified

Used for Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli (E. coli), Coliforms and Bile-Tolerant Gram-Negative Bacteria Count.

“USP <62>” is a nationally-standardized testing method for the detection and enumeration of microorganisms in non-sterile products, microorganisms such as salmonella and E. coli, plus fungi, viruses and protozoa.   

“USP” is an acronym for U.S. Pharmacopeia, a non-profit organization whose testing standards are legally recognized by the United States of America and 140 other countries across the world.  

Total Aerobic Plate Count

“Total Aerobic Plate Count” is the enumeration of all bacteria in a sample. The test functions as a general indicator of a sample’s freshness and as a validation of sanitary procedures. [6] 

To pass the fresh test, a sample may not contain more than 10,000 CFU/g. Third party labs verify that our hemp oil contains less than 20 CFU/g.

Total Yeast and Mold

Total Yeast and Mold is a measure of the total population of microbes in a sample.

Like bacteria, yeasts and molds are microbes. Whereas bacteria directly cause infection, yeasts and molds work indirectly by creating an environment where dangerous bacteria can thrive and multiply.  

About the Method: USP 61 Modified

Used for Total Aerobic Plate Count, Total Yeast and Mold.

USP <61> is a nationally-standardized testing method for the detection and enumeration of microorganisms that can grow under aerobic conditions. 

“Under aerobic conditions” means the extent to which bacteria, fungus and  mold can grow and multiply when left for a specific period of time in the open air at room temperature. [7]  

“USP” is an acronym for U.S. Pharmacopeia, a non-profit organization whose testing standards are legally recognized by the United States of America and 140 other countries across the world.  

Who Are B&B Aesthetic Labs?

You may have noticed the logo “B&B Aesthetic Labs” at the bottom left of your Certificate of Analysis (COA). B&B Aesthetic Labs is a compounding, manufacturing and quality control facility owned by us, Green Lotus™ Hemp.

You may also have noticed the following sentence: All tests are conducted by third party labs.Our products are tested by independent, third party labs. Each lab produces separate reports for every one of our product batches.   

  • The document? That’s us.
  • The tests, the methods, the specifications and the results? That’s third-party labs.

As a genuine farm-to-bottle brand, we’re connected to every part of the production process, from cultivating to manufacturing. In other words, Green Lotus™ “touches” each step in our supply chain, which is how we ensure the quality of our products. Testing is an exception. We don’t “touch” any part of the testing process, and that’s how we ensure the safety of our products.

Concise, Readable Lab Reports

To make GLH lab results accessible to all of our customers, our chemists collected the relevant data from each unique report and combined that data into a single Certificate of Analysis (COA), listing the tests performed, the methods used and the results reported.

Want To See All The Reports? No problem!

Email us at info@greenlotushemp.com, and we’ll send them to you promptly. Please do not hesitate to ask if you’re interested. (Unfortunately,  reading and understanding the unabridged reports can be very challenging without a background in microbiology or chemistry.)

Here Is Every Lab That Tests Our Products

Analytical 360

Analytical 360 , Seattle, WA, Yakima, WA

Altitude Lab Solutions

Altitude Lab Solutions, Labs in Arizona and Colorado

Botanacor Laboratories

Botanacor Laboratories, Denver, CO.

  • Accredited by the American Association of Lab Accreditation for
    • Cannabinoid Potency Determination
    • Extended Cannabinoid Potency Determination
    • Bioburden Testing for:
      • STEC and Salmonella by PCR
      • Total Yeast and Mold
      • E. Coli
      • Total Aerobic Plate Count
      • Total Coliforms

Conclusion

With our five-panel testing, accessible lab reports and convenient QR codes, we believe that Green Louts™ is leading the way on transparency and accessibility in the hemp and CBD industry.

We have good evidence to support that claim; but ultimately, transparency is a distinction and honor awarded to us by the people we serve, rather than ourselves.

Like a guy who thinks, “Wow, this suit looks good,” we need a second opinion.

So, if our QR codes, lab reports and testing are a new suit, how does it fit?

Was it easy to find your lab reports? Do you have any other questions about the content of the lab reports? Contact us at info@greenlotushemp.com

  • Your friends @GreenLotusHemp
References
  1. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2019, from http://hiq.linde-gas.com/en/analytical_methods/liquid_chromatography/high_performance_liquid_chromatography.html
  2. Organoleptic. (1829) In OED.com. Retrieved May 30, 2019, from https://oed.com/view/Entry/236328?redirectedFrom=Organoleptic#eid
  3. Media, C. (n.d.). BioControl. Retrieved June 5, 2019, from https://www.biocontrolsys.com/products/targets/quality/#entero
  4. Coliform Bacteria Fact Sheet – EH: Minnesota Department of Health. (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2019, from https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/water/factsheet/coliform.html
  5. Amirault, B. (2019, May 24). Bile-Tolerant Gram-Negative Bacteria. Retrieved June 5, 2019, from https://www.medicinalgenomics.com/applications/btgn/
  6. Media, C. (n.d.). BioControl. Retrieved June 5, 2019, from https://www.biocontrolsys.com/products/targets/quality/#entero
  7. Microbiological Examination of Nonsterile Products: USP (61), (62). (n.d.). Retrieved May 27, 2019, from https://www.novatx.com/microbiological-examination-of-nonsterile-products/

One thought on “Your Guide to Green Lotus™ Lab Reports

  1. Venita Shute says:

    I just want to tell you that I am just new to weblog and truly enjoyed you’re web blog. Most likely I’m likely to bookmark your blog . You surely come with awesome writings. Thank you for sharing with us your blog site.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses cookies to offer you a better browsing experience. By browsing this website, you agree to our use of cookies.