AOAC Grants Its First ‘Reviewed and Recognized’ Certificate For Cannabis Potency Testing

The AOAC Research Institute has granted its first-ever “Reviewed and Recognized” (R2) certificate for the cannabinoid analysis in flower method using an ultra-high pressure liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled with a diode array detector (DAD).
The certificate was awarded on October 20 to Viridis Laboratories, a cannabis lab in Michigan.
“We are pleased to announce that Viridis Laboratories is the first company to complete our rigorous R2 program verifying the performance claims of the method,” said Scott Coates, the senior director of the AOAC Research Institute, said in a statement.
“Viridis has demonstrated a high degree of scientific and analytical excellence.”
To earn the independent lab standards organization’s R2 certificate, Viridis’ method went through several rounds of rigorous testing and review.
According to AOAC, all R2-certified methods are evaluated for accuracy, repeatability, limit of detection, and selectivity. Only methods that meet specified criteria are granted R2 status.
And the R2 program isn’t just used for cannabinoid profiling. Earlier this year, AOAC invited cannabis analysts everywhere to submit their techniques for identifying and quantifying pesticides in dried cannabis samples.