Sativa Investments PLC (LON:SATI) has completed its 1000th test of cannabinoid and terpenes at its on-site PhytoVista testing laboratory.
Cannabinoids are a class of around 113 compounds found in cannabis plants and include its medicinal component cannabidiol (CBD) and the psychoactive chemical tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).
READ: Sativa Investments brings inexpert to aid its move into the CBD veterinary market
Terpenes are essential oils extracted from the cannabis plant that can enhance the effects of its various cannabinoids, with most of them also carrying anti-pain or anti-inflammatory benefits.
The cannabis investment firm said increased growth of the CBD industry in the UK had led to a rise in demand for testing and batch certifications, of which PhytoVista is a leading service provider.
The laboratory is designed to test and certify that products and samples conform to regulation and is believed to be the only CBD-focused facility in the UK. Sativa said the lab is aiming to test medicinal cannabis products once it has a handling licence granted by the Home Office.
The company added that it had recruited an analytical chemist and a microbiologist at the lab to help expand capacity while its chief scientific officer, Nick Clarkson, was developing new testing methods while the firm sought accreditation of ISO 17025, which regulates the competency of laboratories.
PhytoVista already operates with an ISO 17025 accreditation.
Geremy Thomas, founder and chief executive of Sativa, said the 1000th test was “an early milestone” in the company’s “holistic seed-to-consumer strategy”, with PhytoVista "a key part of Sativa's internal strategic development as having an in-house, on-site testing facility is assisting the Company's Home Office Research Licence application”.
“The laboratory is also attracting significant interest from the pharmaceutical and academic research areas which need an independent testing facility that mandates Good Laboratory Practice to verify and validate their own findings", he added.
The company's shares, which are traded on the NEX exchange, were at 5.9p in late-morning on Thursday.
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