Microbiological

Microorganism testing in cannabis products including both medical cannabis and hemp is designed as a screening tool to assess products for microbiological contamination.  A preventive, proactive approach by testing for indicator organisms provides valuable information before problems escalate.

Total Plate Count (TPC), one of the most common indicator tests identified as an Aerobic Plate Count, provides information on the total population of micro-organisms present.   Aerobic Organisms grow within a moderate temperature range in the presence of oxygen.  TPC counts above a certain threshold typically suggest that sanitation is not adequate because of the number of micro-organisms present.  Selective medias are used to grow bacteria and fungi/yeast organisms separately to provide a TPC for each type of organism

E. coli and total coliform count suggests contamination with fecal material if counts are above a certain threshold.

Salmonella is associated with food borne illness and can survive when very little moisture is present and can infect humans.

Bile-tolerant gram-negative bacteria can survive in the human stomach (bile-tolerant) and have a protective cell wall that causes them to turn red when subjected to the gram staining process (gram-negative).  Gram-negative bacteria thrive in virtually all environments that support life.  They are medically challenging because the outer membrane protecting them from gram staining also protects them from many antibiotics, detergents, and anti-microbial enzymes produced by the immune system. The organisms are defined as those micro-organisms that show growth under certain conditions. The system that LEGEND utilizes restricts the assay to Enterobacteriaceae species only.   Assaying for the presence of these bacteria involve growing on selective media and observing the appearance of the plate.

Yeast and Fungi (Mold) are aerobic organisms that readily grow on plant materials and food stuffs particularly if the water activity and temperature conditions are met.  Aspergillus species are particularly of concern because of their ability to cause illness in immune-compromised individuals.