Eur. Pharm. microbiology testing with different results?

How important is a good sample preparation in cannabis microbiological tests?

After weighing the required mass, the sample preparation begins. With a cannabis flower, as with most samples, microbial growth should be assumed to be throughout the whole sample.

To place the sample in a sterile diluent, let it sit, and then vortex the sample is not sufficient. This approach may cause false negatives. The sample should be macerated to expose as much surface area as possible.

Historically, the food industry uses a masticator blender for this purpose, as do many accredited cannabis laboratories. Exposing the surface area will allow the microbial population to be assayed as representatively as possible.

QPLAB microbiology methods use a masticator blender to ensure the efficient maceration of cannabis flower samples and reliable results.