Understanding your Certificate of Analysis (CoA): Interpretation of Results

Friday, May 13, 2022

 

When you access your Certificate of Analysis (CoA) from your Client Portal, you can expect to see a neat and concise certificate for your sample results.

Our laboratory information is presented at the top and bottom headers of the document, including our name, address, and license number.

Next you will notice your sample information, such as your sample name, matrix, sample reception date, and the analyses requested. You’ll also find your company name, address, and license number (if applicable).

Below this information you’ll find sample results. Each analysis is accompanied by the analysis date, instrument used for the method, as well as a method reference. For pesticide analyses, you’ll also find the last method validation dates.

Each analysis will have a list of analytes, followed by the results to the right of the analytes with appropriate units.

Analyses may have limits of detection (LOD) noted, which represent the lowest detection limit for our instrumentation. The “Limits” section represents acceptance criteria by Health Canada or License Holders. Some analyses may have associated limits, such as those strictly regulated by Health Canada, for example, Residual Solvents or Pesticides. The limits are those you must meet for your product to be sold in the recreational or medicinal markets. Other limits are not set and will be set by the License Holder based on internal procedures (following the USP, Ph. Eur., FDA, etc. as per Health Canada Guidelines).

For the cannabinoid result, our CoA includes results in both percentages and mg/g. Health Canada requires reporting in mg/g; however, percent remains an easier and more visually appealing result to glance at for clients. The total THC and total CBD represent the limits that Health Canada requires license holders to report on labels, accounting for the THC and CBD, as well as the acids (THCA and CBDA) that will convert to main cannabinoids when heated to be inhaled.

At the bottom of your CoA, you will find a statement confirming the authorization of results by the Laboratory Director.

For your information, there is also a legend to the bottom left of the CoA, defining terms you may observe throughout your completed CoA.

For any questions regarding your sample results, or how to interpret your results further, please do not hesitate to contact Nichole Taylor, our Lab Director, at ntaylor@perennia.ca, or 902-309-0583.


Posted by: Adele @ BloomLabs

PREVIOUS Bloom to Bud Posts