Photo courtesy of UW-Parkside
Lori Allen, UW-Parkside’s Natural Products Testing Lab
UW-Parkside’s Natural Products Testing Lab, which opened July 2019, offers growers and processors of industrial hemp the opportunity to test their canna chemical levels, including tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) potency, at their campus in Kenosha. Students are involved in all facets of the laboratory’s operation as they test plant materials, oils, extracts, soaps, lotions and other cannabidiol (CBD) based products.
Lori Allen, associate professor of chemistry at UW-Parkside and faculty director of the university’s College of Natural and Healthy Sciences (CNHS) Analytical Services, leads the laboratory. When the industrial hemp boom began both in Wisconsin and nationwide nearly two years ago, Allen, along with colleagues Frances Mann and Daryl Sauer, were inspired by the university’s engagement in the southeast Wisconsin region. They considered how they could innovatively combine the emerging hemp industry with the university’s passion to give back to the region.
“We looked at the stats, and our faculty, and we have expertise in natural products,” Allen says. She emphasizes that they test other natural products besides hemp, but with her expertise in analytics, it made sense to add hemp potency testing services that growers need, while using students to do that testing so they could gain experience.
They partnered with Japanese company Shimadzu Corporation, maker of precision instruments and medical equipment. The company provided a hemp analyzer and cannabis analyzer for testing. Allen says that since the Natural Products Testing Lab has been operating, they’ve had about 50 clients, mostly growers, but also some processors sending samples for analysis. While they’re passionate about serving their immediate region in southeast Wisconsin, they’ve also received samples from throughout the state.
Checking for Toxins
“We want to be known for looking at more than just the cannabinoid levels in the crop. It’s also about the stability of the CBD in the products and throughout the processing, so we’re trying to be that place to go to for the answers,” she said. “We’re also looking at ways in which we can go beyond cannabinoid profiling, to check for heavy metals, pesticides and mycotoxins.”
Allen’s vision is to direct a lab run by students, with seniors supervising incoming students. Students learn about standard operating procedures and protocols to get a taste of what it’s like to work in a laboratory. They look at more than just cannabinoid measurements; they go beyond the chemical processes to find what is relevant and has immediate application. “This is an area where there is more question than answers. I don’t think we know the full benefit yet, and there is a lot to be learned,” she says.
Allen brings her classrooms into the lab, so they have the opportunity to put their questions to the test. Allen was fortunate to have completed the lab component of her class prior to COVID-19 forcing the closure of the campus. Some students will still come to the lab to serve various clients. Allen is working to gain accreditation through the International Organization for Standardization so that it can test samples for the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).
For more information and to learn how to submit samples, visit uwp.edu/learn/colleges/naturalhealthsciences/naturalproductslab.cfm.
