Edible Testing and General Food Safety
Edibles are a fast-growing area. As more people chef up mmj foods, education of food safety practices will inevitably become an important part of our customer service and client outreach.
Food Safety
What we test for in the microbiological analysis: e coli, salmonella, molds/yeasts and listeria (primarily for fruits/veggies). The vectors for which e coli and salmonella reach foods are easy to overlook, as commercial practices are much more stringent than normally clean and satisfactory home-preparatory practices.
Utensils and countertops. If a client is cooking in a home kitchen, perhaps the utensils or countertops touching the mmj foods have been in contact with e coli or salmonella in previous cooking sessions (ie touched poultry or fish). Possible solutions are:
- use separate sets of utensils/cookware for edibles prep and everyday cooking
- use highest heat setting on dishwasher
- boil all items which can be boiled
- Starsan or some other sanitizing rinse for all utensils, countertop wiping, cookware, packaging or anything else that comes in contact with the edible (common practice in beer-making). We use methanol in the lab (please note: methanol is not recommended for home use).
- practice excellent hygiene techniques
- store all oils and infusions at 41 degrees F or lower at all times
Ingredients. E coli and salmonella want to eat, and dairy is something they love. Especially chocolate; sweet, creamy chocolate. If e coli or salmonella are present, providing them a matrix of nutritious dairy, then warming them up for optimum growth without reaching pasteurization temperatures will cause blooms. Flour can also harbor bacteria – a 2009 outbreak of e coli in raw cookie dough was traced to the flour.(http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/12/09/143450624/the-surprising-ingredient-in-raw-cookie-dough-that-could-make-you-sick)
Internal food temperatures. (Water is pasteurized at 150 degrees). Each food product must be brought up to pasteurization temperatures throughout the food product. See county food safety guidelines for proper temperatures per ingredient.
Weights and sample sizes
Distinct edible item (ie: cookie, brownie, etc)
Lab tech weighs the item and records that weight, homogenizes the edible to distribute active ingredients evenly, then proceeds to potency testing. Based on resulting numbers, client is then responsible for determining proper serving sizes of edible.
Common questions
Why do you report an ounce weight when I didn’t give you an ounce?
We need a large enough sample size to ensure proper homogenization of active ingredients. Once homogenized, ratios of active ingredients to total ingredients remain the same throughout the product, exclusive of size. One ounce or one milliliter sizes are convenient and easy-to-understand measurements which clients can then use to extrapolate dosage based on total weight of edible. For example 100 mg of THC per 1 ounce of cookie will then translate to 50 mg THC per ½ ounce cookie or 2 doses of 50 mg THC per 1 ounce cookie, and so forth.
Also, the GCs used require small test sizes to pass through the machine, therefore testing an entire ounce of non-homogenized edible would require many pieces of edible and many tests, with an average number provided. Homogenization reduces the volume of testing while ensuring the same result, because the average is achieved through the homogenization process, rather post-test calculations.
Is it possible that you contaminated the sample in the lab?
No. Utensils used to prepare samples for microbiological testing are single-use items, sealed prior to use and then disposed of afterwards. Homogenization occurs in a food processor which is then sanitized in a soapy, hot wash and further sanitized with a methanol rinse. All counters are wiped with methanol prior to sample preparation.
Bibliography
http://mmjbusinessdaily.com/inspecting-edibles-companies-qa-with-food-inspector-danica-lee/
LINDA J. HARRIS, Ph.D., TREVOR V. SUSLOW, Ph.D.
Food Safety Tips for Your Edible Home Garden
http://ucfoodsafety.ucdavis.edu/files/203224.pdf
Shute, Nancy, The Surprising Ingredient In Raw Cookie Dough That Could Make You Sick,
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2011/12/09/143450624/the-surprising-ingredient-in-raw-cookie-dough-that-could-make-you-sick
Katherine MJ Swanson,
International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods (ICMSF)
Cocoa, Chocolate and Confectionary
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4419-9374-8_17#close
Zemser, Rachel, MS, CCS
“Marijuana-Infused Products: Controlling the Uncontrolled”,
World of Food Ingredients, June 2014
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3DPJKkBZdbYdlRyQVhRYWUxa1E/edit