So I’m working on a project in a country that doesn’t have any cannabis testing facilities yet. At our last meeting this was brought up, and so now I am inquiring here as to see if I can find a company or a person that has experience setting this up. The idea is to build a facility and mobile testing labs for farms. We will of course be hiring chemists to run the tests. I am but a humble go-getter and have been tasked to compile an estimate.
I’ve been doing some digging around and have found some things necessary, but in order to get a proper estimate I could use some consult.
Here is the equipment that I have found to be necessary for testing.
I like this one if anyone has any experience with it Agilent 6890N GC with 5975 inert XL MS and HTA HT2800T ALS (All-in-One)
Refrigerated Centrifuge
Analytical Balances with Marble Slab
Lab Grinder
Ultra-Pure Water System
Hand Held Homogenizer
Benchmixer
High Powered Microscopes
I am quite certain that I am missing some if not many items and/or software necessary to perform these tasks. This is not my typical beat.
So if anyone knows a person or a company that can assist me with this I would be much obliged.
looks like you got a decent idea of testing for cannabinoids, terpenes, residual solvents, heavy metals, but what about all the micro? yeast and mold for mycotoxins will require an incubator, autoclave, etc
Most importantly, you need a decent lab with hoods.
Reliable analytical cannot be done in a closet.
Good hoods, filtered air and benches and storage cabinets.
Also, refrigeration for standards and samples and a place where the analyst can do his office work like report prep.
This stuff costs as much as the instrumentation if not more.
forgetting the moisture balance, supppper important.
we are currently in the process of getting our analytical facility online and compliant, been a long road to accreditation but we are pretty much there waiting on final site audit.
What’s the reason to do mobile testing? All the regular Ag analytical labs have people ship samples to them, and they’re cheap as fk, way less per sample than this $100 per that canna analytical companies charge for simple GC/hplc DAD stuff… Is your idea to be available to hemp farmers for compliance testing? If so, what’s your ROI given the costs of building a mobile lab versus the number of clients you can service in the harvest season per mobile lab?
Yes, it would be for hemp farmers and compliance testing. And yes I have already run some rough numbers on it. In the US market we can make More accurate predictions about what our ROI would be. In an emerging market where there will only be a select few of these facilities I can see that the return on investment could be swift. I can see why this would not be a great thing for many states.
In the end though I’m still not entirely convinced on it. Once I have a better idea of price and procedure I can make a more informed assessment. Hence, why seeking consult ;).
This is not a project for in house analytics, but rather a brick and mortar facility. Although I will definitely be interested in this equipment for in house analytics for R&D purposes!
I have a great instrument for r&d HPLC, posted in another thread. I’m asking $8k for two UVspecs, a Beckman hplc with an autosampler and a single unused waters column. All software and hardware included as well as two column warmers and a temp control unit for the column warmers. If interested let me know. I’m also accepting CBD crude in place for the instrument as I can process and sell that quicker
WE have sold many of the $10,495 GCs to hemp farmers or people servicing hemp farmers.
The advantage of our unit is that you can test the hemp right in the farmer’s field so they can time the harvest for max CBD and minimum THC. Waiting a week for remote testing is sometimes a problem.
Hugh Goldsmith
SRI
unless you count a summer in a micro lab! hahaha