Mycotoxins are secondary metabolites produced by naturally occurring molds and fungus that can infect and proliferate on agricultural commodities (including cannabis) in the field and/or during storage. Like mold and mildew, susceptibility to fungal contamination is heavily influenced by various environmental factors including temperature, humidity, and levels of rainfall. Sensitive times for fungal contamination are during pre-harvest, storage, and/or processing periods.
Mycotoxins are extremely toxic to humans, particularly in circumstances involving long-term exposure. Aflatoxin (a type of mycotoxin) exposure can result in severe abdominal pain, edema, hemorrhaging, liver damage, mental impairment, convulsions, coma, and even death.
To protect human health and ensure that cannabis products are mycotoxin free, Green Scientific Labs uses Liquid Chromatography in tandem with Triple Quadrupole Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to identify and quantify the most common mycotoxins including Aflatoxin B1, Aflatoxin B2, Aflatoxin G1, Aflatoxin G2, and Orchratoxin A.