SCLabs Terpene testing issue

[herbivore21]

http://sclabs.com/services/services-potency-testing.html

"SC Labs Cannabis potency testing offers full cannabinoid profiling, utilizing High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC/DAD) for our cannabinoid analysis. Older methods using Gas Chromotography (GC) heat the sample and are unreliable when measuring heat sensitive compounds such as the acidic cannabinoids. SC Laboratories uses testing methods that enable precision accuracy and detection, to provide patients, caregivers, and dispensaries with exact measurements of the active ingredients. "

According to SC Labs (and accurately, to their credit), gas chromatography leads to degradation of volatile acidic compounds or terpenes (or basically anything that is degraded by heat). As we know, terpenes in particular are extremely sensitive to heat degradation.

So then: http://sclabs.com/services/services-terpene-analysis.html

"Using advanced methods of Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionized Detection (FID,) we are currently testing for over 35 different terpenes that are commonly found within popular strains of Cannabis."

Why do they use the very same technique to test for terpenes other than cannabinoids? Terpenes which are certainly degraded at the operating temps used in gas chromatography!

I bring this up because I know that my American friends frequently rely on meds tested by this organization.

Consider one compound they test for: Limonene. Limonene has a nominal boiling point of 176c. Gas chromatography AFAIK generally entails heating a sample to 250c prior to content being analyzed, in order to make the sample convert to a gas.

I don't know if anyone knows anyone at SCLabs or who is in contact with them, but I would love to hear why they use this methodology when it is clearly liable to alter the outcome of the analysis due to degradation of the very compounds being tested for!?

This is not company bashing and I do not want to encourage any such thing. I am open to the possibility that the information on the terpene testing page is old and no longer representative of their methods or something, but this is a very confusing situation and I think everybody would benefit from clarification!

 

[Snappo]

http://sclabs.com/services/services-potency-testing.html

"SC Labs Cannabis potency testing offers full cannabinoid profiling, utilizing High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC/DAD) for our cannabinoid analysis. Older methods using Gas Chromotography (GC) heat the sample and are unreliable when measuring heat sensitive compounds such as the acidic cannabinoids. SC Laboratories uses testing methods that enable precision accuracy and detection, to provide patients, caregivers, and dispensaries with exact measurements of the active ingredients. "

According to SC Labs (and accurately, to their credit), gas chromatography leads to degradation of volatile acidic compounds or terpenes (or basically anything that is degraded by heat). As we know, terpenes in particular are extremely sensitive to heat degradation.

So then: http://sclabs.com/services/services-terpene-analysis.html

"Using advanced methods of Gas Chromatography with Flame Ionized Detection (FID,) we are currently testing for over 35 different terpenes that are commonly found within popular strains of Cannabis."

Why do they use the very same technique to test for terpenes other than cannabinoids? Terpenes which are certainly degraded at the operating temps used in gas chromatography!

I bring this up because I know that my American friends frequently rely on meds tested by this organization.

Consider one compound they test for: Limonene. Limonene has a nominal boiling point of 176c. Gas chromatography AFAIK generally entails heating a sample to 250c prior to content being analyzed, in order to make the sample convert to a gas.

I don't know if anyone knows anyone at SCLabs or who is in contact with them, but I would love to hear why they use this methodology when it is clearly liable to alter the outcome of the analysis due to degradation of the very compounds being tested for!?

This is not company bashing and I do not want to encourage any such thing. I am open to the possibility that the information on the terpene testing page is old and no longer representative of their methods or something, but this is a very confusing situation and I think everybody would benefit from clarification!

This is why I have had great success in experiencing the benefits of INGESTING/SUPPLEMENTING (tea, mangoes, essential oils, etc.) terpenes in concert with vaping or ingesting herbal concentrates (decarbed). Too much of it (terpenes) gets cooked away, so needs to be replenished by other means in order to secure the entourage effects.