NEWS
SA’s first cannabis laboratory opens Afriplex is excited to announce the establishment of its dedicated cannabis laboratory. The facility will meet the requirements of an exploding cannabis industry for high quality processing and testing in South Africa.
T
he lab has been in development for the last 18 months. It forms part of work being done to bring its cannabis processing facilities up to Department of Health and the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) regulations. ‘We have invested in a specialised team of experienced professionals and researchers to bring the cannabis laboratory online. Our clear focus to cannabis and cannabinoid testing has resulted in the South African Cannabis Research Institute (SACRI) nominating the Afriplex Cannabis Laboratory as the laboratory of choice in South Africa,’ Robert Longrigg, Afriplex responsible pharmacist enthuses. The Cannabis Laboratory includes an intricate security system, which limits unauthorised access. Stringent, good laboratory practice (GLP) is in place to ensure correct control throughout the laboratory. Documentation and an integrated laboratory information management System (LIMS) will keep track of: arrival, storage, client and partner research projects and details of samples from seeds and plants. It will track right through to the development of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) and other extraction samples of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), cannabidiol (CBD) and cannabinol (CBN). Laboratory equipment will be maintained and serviced, calibrated, sterilised and decontaminated in accordance with good GLP and GMP practices laid out by Afriplex and the SAHPRA. The Afriplex Cannabis Laboratory has a three-tiered approach: 1) Receiving, identifying and processing 2) End-product analysis 3) Research and development. ‘The processing laboratory is set up to ensure reproducible and effective cannabis products by handling receiving aspects like investigating the appearance of the arriving, cultivated cannabis’ morphological and microbiological presentation. This will ensure the appropriate, respective cannabis strain has arrived on site prior to the extraction process proceeding,’ Longrigg, notes. Quantitative assays using GC-MS, GC or HPLC will be used to ascertain the volume of THC, CBD or CBN in the respective identification samples. Afriplex will make use of existing and create new libraries of identification markers to identify stock arriving at the plant. Samples from the final powders, tinctures, oils and APIs will be tested in the Cannabis Laboratory for stability, quality, reliability, and reproducibility. This will happen in the same manner Afriplex prides itself on with its current quality control laboratories ensuring product excellence throughout its facilities. •
Afriplex – www.afriplex.co.za
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February 2019 | Food1/24/2019 Review11:16:28 AM
