Wonderland Labs | FDA Compliant Testing Lab | Kratom Kava https://wonderland-labs.com ...including testing for Kava and Kratom Sat, 21 Oct 2023 23:22:32 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://wonderland-labs.com/wp-content/uploads/cropped-Wonderland-Labs_LOGO-ONLY_500-32x32.png Wonderland Labs | FDA Compliant Testing Lab | Kratom Kava https://wonderland-labs.com 32 32 Who to Trust With Kratom Testing https://wonderland-labs.com/who-to-trust-with-kratom-testing/ https://wonderland-labs.com/who-to-trust-with-kratom-testing/#respond Sat, 06 May 2023 16:44:46 +0000 https://wonderland-labs.com/?p=96019
e. coli causing false positives in kratom testingINTRODUCTION
 
One of the most difficult questions facing those who need to get testing completed for their Kratom is which lab to trust. How can you know which lab is the right choice?
 
Instead of listing all the reasons we feel Wonderland Labs is the correct choice, we instead developed a program where the results you get from us are a combination of several trusted labs. In other words, we let multiple labs verify and validate your results and then build a customized set of calibration samples based on those internal and external results.
 

THE TESTING PROGRAM

This exclusive program is discussed in detail here: “CUSTOMIZED KRATOM TESTING WITH PERSONALIZED CALIBRATION“.
 
It takes the guesswork out of the entire testing process, and gives you a level of precision few labs can offer.
 
Yes, we have over 15 years of experience testing Kava and Kratom. Yes, unlike most labs, we have machines dedicated to testing ONLY KRATOM (and other machines dedicated to testing ONLY KAVA). And yes, we run constant calibrations against known standards that can be purchased from chemical supply houses – on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. (Read about that in our MAINTAINING ACCURACY IN KRATOM TESTING article for those boring details.)
 
But we decided to let a group of trusted labs agree on what your results are, and then build you a set of calibration curves and samples that will ensure that precision result for any new input / source material you send to us.
 
Trust is the most important aspect of any lab you choose. There are already so many unknowns in this industry, but now you can remove one of those biggest unknowns. We never get tired. of hearing from those who have taken advantage of this program. It’s been a unanimous smash hit.
 
WHAT ABOUT THE REST OF US?
 
It’s important to note that this program isn’t for everyone. This program mainly benefits manufacturers of extracts and both Kratom and Kava products. There is a one-time cost associated with the Custom Calibration program ($899 – $1899). For those who have a large amount of the exact same input / source material, this will allow you to manufacture / sell your product knowing the numbers are within 1-2%. This will also allow you to manufacture to very precise standards batch after batch.
 
For those who are simply purchasing materials or products – we still have you covered. We have. an unparalleled calibration protocol at our lab. Not only do we run against standards every 3 months, we have a daily, weekly, and monthly calibration schedule as well. We test from 0.5% all the way up to 100% material, and everywhere in-between.
 
Cal, email, or text today to find out more.

WHY CERTIFICATES OF ANALYSIS?

A Certificate of Analysis will confirm that any material is safe for consumption according to FDA guidelines. It doesn’t mean it’s legal for consumption, it just means that if the tested material were to be consumed, it would not contain any of the common pathogens that are most-often and most-likley to be found in foods and/or dietary supplements.

CONTACT US

1341 Distribution Way, Ste 16, Vista, CA 92081
Email: info@wonderland-labs.com
Phone: (800) 647-3154
Call us TOLL FREE
GET A NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE | OUR FAQ’s

OPERATING HOURS: 8-4, Monday – Friday, PT

Wonderland Labs Contact Form

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Kratom Testing Variances Between Labs https://wonderland-labs.com/kratom-testing-result-variances-between-labs/ https://wonderland-labs.com/kratom-testing-result-variances-between-labs/#respond Fri, 05 May 2023 23:12:16 +0000 https://wonderland-labs.com/?p=96387
e. coli causing false positives in kratom testingINTRODUCTION
 
One of the most-asked questions we get is how it’s possible for two testing labs to get results that are so far off from each other. By the end of this article, you will have a crystal-clear view of why this typically is.

As a note, we are only going to refer to labs who are making a genuine effort to get as accurate Kratom testing results to you as possible. There are always bad players who find ways of inflating results, in an effort to please their clients and make themselves look good. (In our ours, any inaccuracies in testing results is only a negative, not a plus.)

Since lists can be so TLDR, here is our Top 8 List of reasons why Kratom testing can vary so much from one lab to the next, in a series of questions:

 

  1. DOES THE LAB HAVE DEDICATED MACHINES TO TEST KRATOM? – Here at Wonderland Labs, we have 2 machines that only run Kratom tests, and 2 machines that only run Kava tests. These machines are calibrated daily, and the columns, calibration curves, and methods are never swapped out to make room for other types of tests. This alone brings a consistency to testing that is unparalleled in the industry.
  2. HOW OFTEN DOES THE LAB CALIBRATE THEIR MACHINES? – There are several types of calibrations a lab can do with their testing machines. First, there is a calibration that is conducted on regular intervals using a pure MIT and a pure 7OH sample from a chemical supply house such as Sigma. When a machine is (properly) calibrated against this reference standard, the machine should be accurate within just a few percentage points.Wonderland Labs runs this reference standard calibration every 3 months. But we also have 2 further calibrations that we do on a daily and a weekly basis. The same time that we run a reference standard from a chemical supply house, we run a calibration standard based on those test results. This gives each of our Kratom machines a set of reference samples that range from 0.1% up to 100%.Then third, whenever we get an “expected” amount on any material that arrives, we will run a calibration sample alongside each set of tests from a client. That means every Sample Set automatically has a calibration sample tested simultaneously with material from each client is tested.See our full calibration schedule in “HOW WE MAINTAIN ACCURACY IN KRATOM TESTING” article elsewhere on our blog.
  3. WHAT TECHS ARE TESTING YOUR MATERIAL? – This may seem like a small detail, but despite the precision set of steps used for coming up with an accurate testing number, different techs can come up with results that may vary as much as 5%. At Wonderland Labs, a specific tech is assigned for each client. Whenever material from that client arrives, the same tech will run the preps for that specific client.
  4. WHAT EQUIPMENT IS BEING USED FOR SAMPLE PREP? – This may seem like another small detail, but the components used for testing are critical. 5 different pipettes can give 5 different measurements if those pipettes are not calibrated to give both accurate measurements and referenced to each other. It can get overwhelmingly busy in a lab. Material that is being tested for Kratom clients is often in such a rush that clients want their results yesterday. There can be multiple Kratom tests in a single day, that need to get crammed into all the other non-Kratom material that needs testing.Columns need to be changed, chemistry needs to be changed, machines have to get equalized, and the list goes on. Honestly, I don’t know how any lab that doesn’t have a dedicated set of equipment just for Kratom testing can get results that are within 5-7% variance.That is simply too wide of a margin for Wonderland Labs.
  5. IS THE MATERIAL DRIED BEFORE TESTING? – This is another much-overlooked aspect of testing material in the lab. This is especially true when it comes to testing high % Kratom extracts. Since those materials are so pure, they act like sponges when exposed to air.Our lab has a VERY controlled, low humidity environment because of this very reason. We’ve taken material, tested as is, and have seen a result of 60%. When we dry that same material on low heat for several hours, we’ve seen results as high as 15% higher. That is a MASSIVE change in what the client would get as a result.
  6. IS THERE A REFUSAL TO ADMIT FAULT? – We’re taught very early on to never admit error. We’re all human. We’ll using highly sensitive, and highly-sophisticated machinery that relies on constant calibration to remain accurate. Humans can make mistakes.Here at Wonderland Labs, we’re not afraid to admit to an error. And, if we are told of an error, or find an error during our post approval process checks, we don’t hesitate to admit it. Our main goal here is to provide the most accurate testing, at the most reasonable prices, and with the fastest results. This may sound like a recipe for disaster. But due to our extensive protocols that have been put into place from over 15 years of testing the potency of Kratom and Kava, disasters are just a thought about what could happen.
  7. ARE RESULTS BEING VALIDATED? – There are two types of validation for samples that get tested at a lab; internal validation and external validation. Most labs will run a single test, and then go with that result. What labs don’t tell clients though, is that results are typically only accurate within 5-7%. This is not unusual; it’s normal, even for highly sophisticated testing equipment.There are so many small steps that go into getting the final result, that any variance along the Kratom or Kava testing pathway can lead to magnified differences in the end. If a different techs preps your material with a different set of pipettes or graduated cylinder, if they use a machine to test after it’s run multiple other materials that same day, if the column has been switched since the last test, if the chemistry has changed from a buffer with 9.5pH to 10.0pH, to a while list of other variables – tests from one result to the next can easily fall within that 5-7% variance.Wonderland Labs takes extraordinary steps to ensure that we’re accurate from within 1-2% every test, every time.

    We also take the further step of asking for a “second opinion” when it comes to mission critical materials such as “input materials” that manufacturers are going to formulate entire batches of product over a long period of time. We know that there are often tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars at stake in these moments. We’re not too proud to send samples out to 1-2 of our trusted labs to provide comfort to our clients that multiple labs are all in agreement with the exact number we provide you with.

    In fact, Wonderland Labs offers an exclusive “CUSTOM CALIBRATION PROGRAM” for any mission critical material. In this program, we build you your own set of calibration samples, and send the original input material out to our partner labs to get 3 results in total. We then have a meeting with the client, discuss the result, and agree on a path forward before any final numbers are placed onto a Certificate of Analysis.

    We didn’t realize how popular this program would be; which indicates to us how much of a need there was for a program like this in the industry.

  8. ARE YOU JUST ANOTHER DOLLAR SIGN IN A SEA OF DOLLAR SIGNS? – This might not seem like a critical detail. But Wonderland Labs takes personal pride in getting you results that you can trust, rely on, and UNDERSTAND.Keith (owner) gives his personal cell to all VIP clients. Clients then have instant access to him whenever a question arises, or whenever any time-sensitive issue comes up. Keith was on the Board of Directors for the Botanical Legal Defense years ago. After that started to take up too much time, Keith left it, but still wanted to find a way to give back to the community.Wonderland Labs seemed like the perfect way to do this, and that has proven to be true time and time again. Give us a try, and if you don’t feel your results are accurate, we are here to figure out why that might be, instead of just blindly defending the results we had over to you.

    We want to be your Trusted Partner in a sea of options. Kratom testing and Kava testing are what we specialize in, and have for nearly 2 decades now. We’ve got the first material we ever sampled in 2004, from a guy named Duncan. It’s an early Kratom resin, and that has been one of our favorite reference samples.

    Don’t blindly trust the lab that looks like it has the most money, is the biggest, or has a website that looks super slick and cost thousands of dollars.

    Trust the lab who specializes in the testing you want done, who cares about you as a client, and who always does what it takes to provide you with Kratom lab testing results that you can trust without question.

WHY CERTIFICATES OF ANALYSIS?

A Certificate of Analysis will confirm that any material is safe for consumption according to FDA guidelines. It doesn’t mean it’s legal for consumption, it just means that if the tested material were to be consumed, it would not contain any of the common pathogens that are most-often and most-likley to be found in foods and/or dietary supplements.

CONTACT US

1341 Distribution Way, Ste 16, Vista, CA 92081
Email: info@wonderland-labs.com
Phone: (800) 647-3154
Call us TOLL FREE
GET A NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE | OUR FAQ’s

OPERATING HOURS: 8-4, Monday – Friday, PT

Wonderland Labs Contact Form

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Maintaining Accuracy in Kratom Lab Testing https://wonderland-labs.com/maintaining-accuracy-in-kratom-lab-testing/ https://wonderland-labs.com/maintaining-accuracy-in-kratom-lab-testing/#respond Sun, 02 Apr 2023 20:56:40 +0000 https://wonderland-labs.com/?p=89261

INTRODUCTION

We know how critically important it is to maintain accuracy in results. For that reason, Wonderland Labs takes extraordinary steps to ensure the same accuracy client after client, month after month, year after year.

It can be difficult to understand the steps taken when you’re not there to see them, so I thought I’d share some of those steps with you in this article.

CALIBRATED MACHINES

First, we start with machines built and calibrated by Cal-L in Los Angeles, CA. Former Agilent employees (the company that manufactures the machines we use) are on staff to handle even the most difficult issues. They’re well-respected experts in the industry regarding building, rebuilding, and refurbishing lab equipment, especially Agilent equipment.

REFERENCE SAMPLES

Next, any analytical method to test for alkaloid content must begin with reference samples from a reputable chemical supply house. Our preferred supply house is Sigma-Aldrich. They provide both Mitragynine and 7OH samples with 100% purity. This allows us to calibrate our machines to pinpoint accuracy with precisely measured dilutions made from each original pure sample. We calculate all formulations and dilutions to the thousandth to ensure that any whole number results are as scientifically accurate as possible.

We then build an initial set of reference samples from those pure alkaloids, with 0.001%, 0.01%, 0.1%, 1.0%, 2.0%, 5.0%, 10.0%, 20.0%, 30.0%, 50.0%, 70.0%, 80.0% and 90.0% dilutions. These external reference samples are used twice per year on all our machines to re-calibrate and re-validate our results.

But that calibration is just the beginning.

From those external reference samples, we build a set of internal reference samples that will last us for approximately 6 months of tests. Those reference samples are prepped simultaneously with the external reference samples to ensure the highest possible accuracy. We build a complete set of 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0%, 5.0%, 10.0%, 30.0%, 50.0%, 70.0%, and 90.0% internal reference samples. Those are pictured above. That set of reference samples then gets sent to a trusted partner lab to validate the accuracy or our internal math.

And this is when the real work begins for maintaining that pinpoint accuracy with our machines. Those reference samples are then used in a very rigorous calibration schedule that happens in multiple stages. The external reference samples are used to build individual calibration curves on each of our machines.

THE MIGHTY CALIBRATION CURVE

Once we crack open our ampule of pure Mitragynine, we then painstakingly pipette out extremely exact dilutions of that reference sample, to build a series of data points to create what’s called a Calibration Curve.

Running multiple tests at each of those dilutions (concentrations) generates a calibration curve. This happens by testing 3 separate preparations of each dilution of the reference material. We then take the average of each of those testing results to build a single data point. Once we get a complete set of numbers, we plot them in a spreadsheet. The ultimate goal is to have a perfectly straight line appear from those data points. Since this is the real world, though, that rarely happens. We can get close to a perfectly straight line, but with so many data points being considered, no matter how perfect our sample prep or our math is – the line will only be nearly a straight line.

Once we’ve built those graphs, we then feed those numbers into each machine individually (we have 3-4 machines dedicated to testing Kratom at any given time). The machine then generates a curve based on those numbers to get an exact percentage from 0.1% all the way up to 100% concentration. If we have been careful enough in our preparations, the machine will be calibrated to 0.01% accuracy. And, our goal is to get each machine we’re testing on, to be within 0.1% of each other. It’s not always a simple task, but it’s important enough that we do our best to achieve that every time we calibrate.

Here is an image of a typical Calibration Curve from 2022:

Full calibration testing is completed every 3 months to verify our calibration curves remain accurate. That testing data is painstakingly logged with all the other paperwork the lab requires.

DAILY / WEEKLY ACCURACY TESTING

But quarterly calibrations aren’t enough for our obsessive-compulsive selves and staff. And this is where the internal set of reference samples we crafted play a critical role. Below is an image from our log book from early in 2023. Each tech is responsible for running this entire series of tests once per week.

Our calibration schedule is as follows:

  • Quarterly, we run the full external pure sample from a chemical house.
  • Weekly, we run an abbreviated version to verify and validate our results.
  • Daily, we run 1-2 random reference samples as an added check and to keep the chemistry flowing in the machines.
  • Per Client, we run the internal reference standard we have that most closely matches their “expected” result.

And this is where our OCD really shines: If we get a result that doesn’t match what a client expected, unlike other labs, that triggers a series of protocols to double-check ourselves:

  • FIRST, we do an automatic re-prep of the client’s samples.
  • SECOND, we prep a reference sample matching the result we got
  • THIRD, we take a random previous client’s sample, and run that alongside.

This way, we can be sure that the results we’re seeing weren’t an anomaly, due to bad homogenization, a dead spot in the sample, or whatever else it might be. Nothing is more critical to our lab and our techs than maintaining pinpoint accuracy in every test we complete.

3RD PARTY VALIDATION TESTING

We regularly send out samples to 3-4 external labs that we trust. Two of those labs are popular labs for getting Kratom samples tested (at a much higher price than we test Kratom for). But this gives us further validation that our results are dead on. And, the good news is, that 99% of the time, when we get testing done at external labs, we are either exactly on target with those other labs, or ever so slightly higher.

It’s critical to note the procedure we take for ensuring the accuracy of results that we send out for third party validation:

  • We first homogenize the sample in question.
  • We then split that sample into 6 equal parts.
  • We then test each of those 6 samples.
  • Lastly, we send each of those samples out to external labs and wait for the results.

It’s rare that we ever get results back with any more than a 0.1% difference between our results and any trusted external lab that we send our samples to. More often than not, our samples are within just a few hundredths of a percent.

What happens if we get a contentious sample where the client is finding it difficult to believe our results? We send the exact sample(s) we have at our lab out for potency testing at our expense. This is a rare occurence, but maintaining accuracy in our Kratom testing is truly of the utmost importance to us here at Wonderland Labs. And, reputations are easily lost, so we go take extensive measures to know, without any doubt, that the Kratom testing results we provide to any client, are as accurate as scientifically possible.

SPENT BIOMASS TESTING

Once we complete the prepping of a sample, there is the spent biomass that is left over. Theoretically, if our sample prep was accurate and we were to test that spent biomass, the resulting potency should be 0.0%.

Since there isn’t enough spent biomass to do a proper sample prep, we run a sample alongside the one we are currently testing, using the same material. We simply quadruple the amount of material we prep. This way, once all of the chlorophyll and alkaloids are extracted from the material, there will be enough left to run an additional test, using the spent biomass as the material to be tested.

Once the extraction process completes, we remove all of the liquid from that biomass. Once it’s dry, we then do a very quick wash with Methanol, to remove any alkaloids that were extracted but remained behind stuck to the biomass. We then carefully re-dry this material at a low temperature to protect the integrity of the material.

Then, we run another sample prep, as if this were the original unextracted material, to see what we get. With our extraction / sample prep process, we typically remove 99.95% of all alkaloid content minimum, with a more typical result of 99.99% of alkaloids. Knowing this number in advance, we compensate for that tiny (insignifacant trace amount) in the final numbers.

EXPECTATIONS VERSUS REALITY

One of the biggest questions we get, especially when results don’t match expectations, is this:

How can I trust your results?
[INSERT NAME HERE] lab got us results that were higher than your results.
So, they must be right, and you must be wrong.

It’s in our nature as humans to want to believe the things we want to believe more than the things we don’t want to believe. Who doesn’t want their results from their Kratom testing to be at least 1.5% Mitragynine content or more for their raw Kratom powder? And who wouldn’t want their results to be 1.8%, 1.9%, or even 2.0%?

I get it. We want to believe in results that match our expectations and discard results that don’t. But, after nearly 20 years of testing virtually all of the Kratom on the market, we have built up detailed portfolios of strains, varieties, and locales of Kratom.

And one secret I’ll let you in on is this: There likely aren’t nearly the number of varieties and strains that we have all been led to believe there is. Many are blends, or simply different names for the same variety of Kratom to attract more buyers and to have something unique to bring to the marketplace. And, we have sent samples out to various labs at random times, and can’t count the number of times results came back from those labs higher than we know the samples to be.

But that is not the point of this discussion.

THE BEARER OF BAD NEWS

As a lab, we often have to be the bearer of bad news…often. And we know what the immediate response is going to be. But this is the thing:

Regardless of what results people want or hope to see,
to have integrity as a testing lab,
we must report what the science tells us is true.

In fact, modifying the multipliers on our machines can easily produce inflated results. There is a field in any machine’s testing parameters called a “Multiplier” that allows results to be multiplied by any number necessary to get an accurate result. If the Calibration Curve has been carefully constructed and set up, this is rarely the case, especially when testing 0.1% up to 100% dilutions during setup.

That means if the actual result is 1.2% for a particular Kratom powder sample, but the multiplier is set to 1.25x, the machine will report a result of 1.5% instead of 1.2%. It’s that simple. This effect gets more extreme when working with higher concentration extracts. If the multiplier on the machine is just a 1.06 instead of a 1.00, a 70% strength extract would report as a 70 x 1.06 = 74.2% extract.

Now, that might feel good at first, but a 4.2% inflation over an actual 70% material is quite substantial. If the multiplier was set to 1.25, then the material would report as an 87.5%, which is obviously a mile off. Depending on the workload, depending on individual setups, there are so many factors that come into play when taking a sample from preparation to final result. From the precision measurement when the sample is first prepped, to the amount of solvent blended with that material to make the mobile phase, to every step in-between – it’s an amazing feat when two individual labs report identical results.

For us, the main reason for accuracy isn’t just integrity;
It goes way deeper than that.

How so?

Some of our clients are making thousands, hundreds, or millions of dollars in product decisions based on our testing. If we chose to report a 1.2% raw material as a 1.5%, and a purchase is made from that reported result, it could be devastating all the way down the line:

Customers who purchase this material are connoisseurs today and can usually tell the difference between a true 1.5% powder and a 1.2%. Those who purchase this material as a 1.5% and then make mathematical extraction formulation decisions based on these numbers will be sorely disappointed when they compare their expected results from their actual results. A supplier who purchases a large amount of this powder to sell to a lot of distributors, will inevitably get a lot of backlash when any of those distributors test the material, only to find out that it was actually a 1.2% and not a 1.5% as they had been told. And the list truly does go on.

In another example, if a raw Kratom powder with an average Mitragynine content of 1.5% is off by just 0.3% — that equates to a 20% difference in the result. (1.5% is exactly 20% higher than 1.2%). This gets even more extreme when working with higher concentration extracts. Take a high concentration extract being made from this raw Kratom material, and a 70% expected result would end up only as a 56% result.

Heads could roll with those kinds of discrepancies. And these are just a couple examples of why it’s critical to maintain pinpoint accuracy in testing results, especially regarding raw kratom powders, kratom shots / liquids, and kratom extracts.

This is exacltly why Wonderland Labs goes out of its way
to maintain integrity and accuracy in its results.

THE BOTTOM LINE / MY PERSONAL HISTORY

I’ve been in the Kratom industry for nearly 20 years now. A few years back, I was on the Board of Directors for the Botanical Legal Defense. We won a lot of early victories in states that were looking to ban Kratom or make it a Schedule I drug. When we were first starting, that was all our own money being spent to help protect the growing Kratom community.

That grew into something larger than we ever imagined. We started taking in large donations, and began hiring lobbyists whose costs were in the tens of thousands per piece of legislation.

I went to Springfield, Illinois, with a dear friend and colleague to change a law. We were dressed in our nicest suits, put on our lobbying hats, shook lots of representatives’ hands — and managed to change minds! I was shocked. Illinois had a bill that was going to ban Kratom. David and I managed to shake enough representatives’ hands and provide persuasive enough arguments that the law was changed to make Kratom legal in Illinois for those 18 and older.

That is the moment we realized that we could effect change, that we could make a real difference in the Kratom Community. That was a powerful moment and a powerful feeling. And that is what led me to where I am now with Wonderland Labs.

The Botanical Legal Defense started to take up way too much of my time and energy. It became a very high-energy position that was taking up more of my life than I could give. More change was needed in more states, and the Botanical Legal Defense became a full-time job. I had too many responsibilities to continue to devote that much time to the cause. So, I had to bow out.

So, I left.

But my intense desire to make a positive difference in the Kratom community
and to fight for this plant I believed deeply in never left me.

I thought that if I opened my testing lab to the public, but at a fraction of the price that other labs were charging for Kava and Kratom testing, that this could be my way to continue to give back to the community. It wasn’t on the scale of the Botanical Legal Defense, but it was a way to stay connected.

I believe deeply that part of legitimizing Kratom, was to follow all the rules that the FDA had set out for the manufacture of products intended for consumption. If we, as an industry could show that we were doing everything we could to be compliant, by testing Kratom products that were manufactured under cGMP conditions, that we, as an industry would have to be taken more seriously than we may have been taken otherwise.

What I could do was make testing affordable to the smaller manufacturers, to the start-ups, to the people who believed that they could make a go of responsibly offering Kratom for sale.

I hired the best method developers I could find, to help us build SOP’s specifically for Kava testing and Kratom testing. We then began to specialize in both Kava and Kratom testing, building up a portfolio of varieties and species from as many sources as possible.

I love being in the lab. I love sharing and discussing results with clients, and I realized that my passion for the Kratom and the Kava community could still have a positive impact.

And, to this day, despite so many accusations and attacks on our lab, despite those who have chosen to falsify our certificates, and despite us making mistakes along the way as we struggled to keep up with demand, while learning how to handle the difficulties and roadblocks that happen simply by being in the Kratom industry – we are still here, still working to better ourselves, the lab, and our results.

Maintaining accuracy is one of the core ways to build trust with our clients, and it’s a task we take on more seriously than most will ever know. One result can potentially affect so many things down the line, both positively and negatively.

For that reason, maintaining accuracy, by rigorously calibrating our machines, by validating results both internally and externally to maintain pinpoint accuracy is one of our core missions daily.

We sincerely appreciate your trust and loyalty throughout the years. We know that it’s because of that trust that we still exist and are flourishing as a lab today, as we look to the future, and other ways that I can continue to give back to a community I’m deeply passionate about and always will be.

WHY CERTIFICATES OF ANALYSIS?

A Certificate of Analysis will confirm that any material is safe for consumption according to FDA guidelines. It doesn’t mean it’s legal for consumption, it just means that if the tested material were to be consumed, it would not contain any of the common pathogens that are most-often and most-likley to be found in foods and/or dietary supplements.

CONTACT US

1341 Distribution Way, Ste 16, Vista, CA 92081
Email: info@wonderland-labs.com
Phone: (800) 647-3154
Call us TOLL FREE
GET A NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE | OUR FAQ’s

OPERATING HOURS: 8-4, Monday – Friday, PT

Wonderland Labs Contact Form

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Custom Kratom Testing With Personalized Calibration https://wonderland-labs.com/customized-kratom-testing-and-calibration/ https://wonderland-labs.com/customized-kratom-testing-and-calibration/#respond Wed, 01 Mar 2023 18:04:01 +0000 https://wonderland-labs.com/?p=95627
INTRODUCTION
 
Have you ever wished you could get indisputable results that you can trust without question? Have you ever had to resolve issues with varying results from different labs? We at Wonderland Labs have solved that issue with our Customized Calibration Program for Kratom. It’s been wildly more popular than we thought it would be.
 
TLDR: For top clients who demand the ultimate in precision, we build a set of calibration samples and use both a column and testing procedure that is unique to you. This is also the perfect service for manufacturers who have a single input / source material that they will then build a number of products from.
 
Why would you want something like this, and most importantly, why would you want to pay extra for this unique service?
 
Wonderland Labs already maintains an extremely high standard for precision and repeatable testing. To get a glimpse into the lengths we go to, to ensure accuracy, take a look at our “HOW WE MAINTAIN ACCURACY / PRECISION IN TESTING” article for full details.
 
This package, which is a one-time fee, takes that precision and repeatability to the next level.
 
DETAILS OF THE PERSONALIZED TESTING PROCESS:
  1. We first run a calibration test on two machines and two columns dedicated only to Kratom STANDARD and Kratom RUSH projects. We then ensure the machine is perfectly calibrated by entering the calibration data to create a calibration curve.
  2. If requested, those samples will first dried in a sealed environment on low heat for 24 hours, to ensure no moisture has managed to seep into your often freeze-fried material anywhere along the way. Once that is complete, we then run your sample(s).
  3. As soon as those samples are completed, we then take the remaining material, and split it into 4 separate lots.
  4. Three or four of those lots will be sent out to trusted labs who we’ve been working with for at least 1 year, with results we know we can trust.
  5. Once those labs return to us, we have a conversation with the client to discuss their results. If there is more than a 5-7% variation in the results (most labs don’t alert clients that a 7% variation in potency results is not unusual. That means some labs might be as much as 7% higher, and some labs might be as much as 7% lower, for a total range of 14%. (We don’t allow for such wide variations as a normal course of protocol for our lab.)
  6. Once we decide which path makes the most sense, we then create a set of calibration samples from our own stock of high concentration extracts that will be specific to you and your sample set. There will be enough calibration material to last years.
  7. Then, every time your material arrives, we run the exact same method, with the exact same column, using the exact same calibration method and material, to arrive at the exact same numbers every single time.
  8. This further allows our accuracy to tighten to just 1-2%, test after test, month after month, year after year for your material. Hand us the exact same material (perfectly preserved, of course) a year later, and our results will likely be UNDER a 1-2% variation from the original test.

The cost is just a one-time cost, and only adds a very modest charge on top of already highly-discounted pricing. Labs tend to not disclose that methods may change, columns may change, chemistry may change, techs may change, machines may change, pipettes and scales may change, and so on. Just one of these factors can create variances from one set of tests to the next. We eliminate that with your own set of calibration material that runs alongside every test you send us.

With this proprietary system, you get built-in external validation from several trusted labs, and a guaranteed variance of no more than 1-2% (usually 1%).

This takes the fear that inevitably creeps up when results don’t match your expectations away. It’s natural to wonder if results you don’t like or are not close to your expectations are accurate. With so many variables along the path from raw material to extract, remove one of the only variables that isn’t under your control. Instant stress removal, because you will always know, without question, that your tests are dead accurate on from test to test, year to year.

AS A SIDE NOTE: We already go to great lengths to ensure accuracy for ALL our clients as described on our “HOW WE MAINTAIN ACCURACY IN KRATOM TESTING” article elsewhere on this blog. It’s difficult to know, when looking from the outside, what great lengths we go to, to ensure that every test that comes through our door gets a result the client can trust.

We’ve added multiple machines to our lab that are dedicated to testing only Kratom, only Kava, and only exotic botanicals. We maintain strict procedures with high accuracy pipettes, material measurement that measures to the hundredth. We automatically homogenize samples, often by hand with stainless steel mortar and pestles.

We have been specializing in Kratom and Kava products for over 15 years. We still have some of the original Kratom material that was first brought into the country from Bali in the early 2000’s sitting in our lab freezer. We have tested virtually all of the Kratom that is currently on the market, and have a massive database of reference samples that we have built profiles of what are far fewer strains and varieties in circulation than people think.

We work hard to be that lab that you never have to question results from. We’re very proud to say that even without the Ultimate Custom Calibration Service, our results rarely vary by more than 1-2% already. We answer the phone, you get personalized service, and Keith, our lead tech takes the time to discuss results with every client. The Ultimate Custom Calibration Testing Service simply gives you an added layer of security, and the ability to take comfort in testing results, whether they’re what you wanted or expected or not.

We test any form of Kratom and Kava as well. We’ve tested powders, nano-powders, liquids, resins, vape cartridges, seltzers, and everything in-between.

In addition, we offer a full menu of other testing services that include BIOLOGICAL, HEAVY METALS, PESTICIDES, and many exotic botanicals such as KANNA, BLUE LOTUS (nuciferene), AMANITA and many others.

GENERAL PRICING:

  • Customized Calibration w/Single Column: One-time cost of $899.00
  • Customized Calibration w/Personal Column: One-time cost of $1899.00

CALL OR EMAIL FOR A CUSTOMIZED QUOTE TODAY // info @ wonderland-labs dot com OR 800-647-3154

Team Wonderland

WHY CERTIFICATES OF ANALYSIS?

A Certificate of Analysis will confirm that any material is safe for consumption according to FDA guidelines. It doesn’t mean it’s legal for consumption, it just means that if the tested material were to be consumed, it would not contain any of the common pathogens that are most-often and most-likley to be found in foods and/or dietary supplements.

CONTACT US

1341 Distribution Way, Ste 16, Vista, CA 92081
Email: info@wonderland-labs.com
Phone: (800) 647-3154
Call us TOLL FREE
GET A NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE | OUR FAQ’s

OPERATING HOURS: 8-4, Monday – Friday, PT

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Common Kratom Contaminants and Adulterants https://wonderland-labs.com/common-kratom-contaminants-and-adulterants/ https://wonderland-labs.com/common-kratom-contaminants-and-adulterants/#respond Sun, 13 Mar 2022 09:14:39 +0000 https://wonderland-labs.com/?p=87291
e. coli causing false positives in kratom testingINTRODUCTION
 
Are you planning to consume kratom powder or liquid?
 
Empower yourself and find out a few key factors you may want to consider:
– The lab tests that help guarantee any Kratom product you purchase is safe for consumption
– The most common bacteria, pathogens, and metals typically found in Kratom
– The most common adulterants used in Kratom
 
 
REQUIRED FDA FULL PANEL TESTING
 
Bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli are common in kratom, and their presence can pose a significant risk to human health. Salmonella, in particular, has been associated with several outbreaks of illness related to kratom consumption. Yeast and mold are also common contaminants in kratom, and their presence can cause respiratory problems, skin irritation, and other health issues.
 
To ensure the safety of kratom products for consumption, it is crucial to conduct microbial testing of the product. This testing can help identify the presence of harmful microorganisms. It can also ensure the product meets the standard limits for total aerobic microbial count, total yeast and mold count, and specific pathogenic bacteria.
 
So, let’s discuss the required lab tests that the FDA requires for any consumable dietary supplement:
 
Microbial testing: Microbial testing is essential to identify the presence of harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, yeast, and mold. The presence of these microorganisms can cause infections and other health issues. From over a decade of testing Kratom in various forms, we have found that FALSE E. COLI POSITIVES are common. Actual E. coli contamination is vastly lower.
 
We have also found Salmonella in only about 5% of the thousands of samples we’ve tested. Staph is the least common pathogen in Kratom. We have only found it in less than 1% of al-samples we have tested.
 
The standard limits for microbial and pathogens tests are as follows:
– Total aerobic microbial count: not more than 10^5 CFU/g
– Total yeast and mold count: not more than 10^4 CFU/g
– Absence of pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella and E. coli
 
Heavy metal testing: Heavy metal testing is necessary to identify the presence of harmful metals such as lead, mercury, arsenic and cadmium. These metals can be toxic to the body and can cause various health issues, such as damage to the nervous system, kidneys, and liver.
 
The recommended standard limits for heavy metal testing are as follows:
– Arsenic: note more than 0.5 ppm
– Lead: not more than 0.5 ppm
– Mercury: not more than 0.1 ppm
– Cadmium: not more than 0.5 ppm
 
Alkaloid content testing: Alkaloid testing is necessary to identify the presence of active compounds in kratom such as mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine.
 
Average alkaloid content for both Mitragynine and 7OH is as follows:
– Mitragynine: 0.8% – 1.8%, with an average of 1.0-1.2%
– 7-hydroxymitragynine: 0.03% – 0.05% is typical in raw material
 
Kratom is known for its two main alkaloids, including mitragynine and 7-hydroxymitragynine. These are responsible for its main psychoactive effects. We have done extensive testing on the other 3 key alkaloids in Kratom. We know that the “entourage Effect” plays a key role in determining the effects of Cannabis strains. Many believe that the differing combinations of the main 5 alkaloids in Kratom may also produce a similar “entourage effect”.
 
We have not found this to be true, but we are not saying it doesn’t exist.
 
Cronobacter, Erwinia, Enterobacter and Klebsiella present, but no Escherichia
 
KRATOM CONTAMINATION
 
The presence of microorganisms in kratom is due to various factors. These include the environment in which it is grown, the harvesting and processing methods, and storage conditions. Kratom grows in humid and warm climates, providing an optimal environment for microbial growth. Additionally, improper handling and storage of kratom after harvesting can lead to contamination.
 
The following are the most common reasons for kratom contamination:
 
Growing conditions: Kratom is typically grown in warm and humid environments, providing an optimal environment for microbial growth. If the conditions in which kratom is grown are not properly managed, it can lead to contamination with bacteria, yeast, and mold.
 
Harvesting and processing methods: The harvesting and processing of kratom are critical steps that can affect its quality and safety. Improper harvesting and processing methods, such as using unclean equipment, can lead to contamination with microorganisms.
 
Storage conditions: To maintain its quality and safety, after harvesting and processing, kratom, it needs to be properly stored. If stored in a warm and humid environment, it can lead to contamination with bacteria, yeast, and mold. Additionally, exposure to moisture can lead to the growth of mold and other harmful microorganisms.
 
Cross-contamination: Cross-contamination can occur when kratom comes into contact with other contaminated materials during processing or storage. For example, if the equipment used to process kratom is not properly cleaned, it can lead to cross-contamination with microorganisms.
 
Heavy metal contamination: Kratom can also be contaminated with heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury. All can be toxic to human health. Heavy metal contamination can occur due to the soil in which kratom is grown or from using contaminated water during processing. We have also seen a large increase in Nickel in some Kratom raw material appearing sometime around 2020, and up to mid-2022.
 
Many have attributed this to machinery (like hammer mills) used in countries that Kratom is harvested, not being made of stainless steel. As these non-FDA compliant machines are used, that nickel can slough off over time, contaminating the raw material without anyone noticing.
 
ADULTERANTS
 
Regarding adulterants, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified several adulterants in kratom products. Unscrupulous manufacturers add adulterants to kratom products to increase the potency or enhance the effects of the products. These adulterants can pose a significant risk to human health and may cause serious adverse effects.
 
Here are some of the most commonly identified adulterants our lab has found in kratom products:
 
O-desmethyltramadol (ODT): ODT is a potent opioid drug that is found in some kratom products. ODT is a synthetic opioid that can cause severe respiratory depression, seizures, and death.
 
Hydrocodone: Hydrocodone is a prescription pain medication that is found in some kratom products. Hydrocodone is a potent opioid that can cause respiratory depression and death.
 
Sildenafil: Sildenafil is a prescription medication used to treat erectile dysfunction that is found in some kratom products. Sildenafil can interact with nitrates. Nitrates exist in medications used to treat heart disease, and can cause a significant drop in blood pressure.
 
Tianeptine: Tianeptine is a prescription antidepressant that is found in some kratom products. Tianeptine is a potent opioid that can cause respiratory depression, seizures, and death.
 
Phenibut: Phenibut is a central nervous system depressant that is found in some kratom products. Phenibut can cause sedation, dizziness, and withdrawal symptoms.
 
To ensure the safety of kratom products for consumption, it is important to purchase products from reputable manufacturers. Reputable manufacturers include those who follow good manufacturing practices (cGMP) and regularly test their products for purity and contaminants. It’s so essential to be aware of the potential risks associated with kratom use. Please do your research or consult with a trusted healthcare professional before using kratom as a supplement or for any purposes.
 
STANDARD DOSAGES
 
Lastly, just as a general reference point, common dosages for kratom are as follows:
 
Raw Powder: 2-8 grams per serving
Kratom Liquids: 8-20 mg/ml
 
We test a wide variety of Kratom products, but have seen a massive surge in liquid extracts in 2022 and 2023. Most of the Kratom shots we test seem to be within a very narrow range. On the low end, we see about 7-8mg/mL. On the high end, we see as much as 20mg/mL. Beyond that, for a finished Kratom product, have yet to see higher than that.
 
The highest concentration extract we’ve tested so far was 80mg/mL. Concentrations can get as high as 500mg/mL, but we have yet to see that happen.
 
IN CONCLUSION
 
Please comment below if you have any questions or additions to the information presented above. We’re always looking to increase our knowledge of this plant, no matter how much we test it. In general, we have found that most suppliers do take care in harvesting, processing, and storing their Kratom. There are always exceptions, and it’s those exceptions that can cause significant harm to the consumer.

WHY CERTIFICATES OF ANALYSIS?

A Certificate of Analysis will confirm that any material is safe for consumption according to FDA guidelines. It doesn’t mean it’s legal for consumption, it just means that if the tested material were to be consumed, it would not contain any of the common pathogens that are most-often and most-likley to be found in foods and/or dietary supplements.

CONTACT US

1341 Distribution Way, Ste 16, Vista, CA 92081
Email: info@wonderland-labs.com
Phone: (800) 647-3154
Call us TOLL FREE
GET A NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE | OUR FAQ’s

OPERATING HOURS: 8-4, Monday – Friday, PT

Wonderland Labs Contact Form

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The Importance of Testing Kratom in a Lab https://wonderland-labs.com/the-importance-of-testing-kratom-in-a-lab/ https://wonderland-labs.com/the-importance-of-testing-kratom-in-a-lab/#respond Wed, 23 Feb 2022 17:33:05 +0000 https://wonderland-labs.com/?p=87279

KRATOM LAB TESTING AND WHY IT MATTERS

You’ve found the premier beyond GMP-compliant facility that specializes in Kratom lab testing. Most labs seem to be too nervous to handle Kratom or have biases against what we feel is an important natural product that has been unfairly targeted by both the media and the government. We believe in safety for all products that may end up intended for consumption, even if they are considered taboo by many.

Take Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) for example. We have studied the research, we have tested over 50 distinctly different varieties of Kratom leaf, powder, and extract over the past several years. When we are certain that the material was handled in a professional manner, when we are certain that the product was properly dried, and hadn’t sat around damp in a hot place for a long period of time, we have found nothing inherently harmful in raw, unadulterated Kratom. We also feel this is an extremely important plant when it comes to helping make people’s lives better.

For those reasons and more, we are proud to be your #1 place for Kratom Lab Testing. We provide signed and embossed Certificates of Analysis that are accepted by the FDA as ample evidence of a product’s safety. Having a Certificate of Analysis doesn’t automatically make any product legal for consumption, but it does let the FDA know that if the product was consumed for any reason, that is is free of the pathogens and levels of heavy metals required by the FDA to be tested for.

Sometimes what seems like an obvious answer to us, is only obvious because of what we see every day here at the lab when it comes to discussing why lab tested Kratom matters as much as it does. When we first started testing exotic botanicals that were in the marketplace, what we found with the samples we tested was both surprising, and at time, more than a bit shocking.

Some of the product we were tasked with testing for Identification and alkaloid percentage, wasn’t always Mitragyna speciosa at all. Some was another strain, such as Mitragyna javanica, and some of it wasn’t Kratom leaf at all. More disturbing, though, are the pathogens that exist in some, but not all of the Kratom we’ve tested in the lab. And the amount of Kratom we’ve tested in the lab as of this writing is in the many hundreds of samples.

Because we want as broad a sample set to refer to, over the past several years, we have built up an extensive profile for Kratom. We have seen many duplicates marketed under different names, and we’ve seen identical strains that were named erroneously. Why that matters to you is all of that in-house testing of as much Kratom as we could get our hands on, means more accurate testing for you, and a wider sample set to draw our conclusions from.

What’s more, is we are continuously testing Mitragyna speciosa in our lab, sometimes as many as 40 samples a day. Because we keep one of our 4 machines so busy with Kratom samples, every few weeks, we recalibrate that machine, which is used exclusively for Kratom testing. We have what’s called a “reference standard”, and test against that reference standard every few weeks to be sure we’re pinpoint accurate with our results.

Kratom typically only has between 1%-2% mitragynine content and even less 7OH, so even tenths of a percent are critical when evaluating the quality of your product. Extracts typically contain anywhere between 3% – 8% mitragynine, and in a few rare cases, we’ve seen a 12%, and a 48%. That makes every tenth of a percent matter that much more.

Next, I don’t mean to be alarmist here, so I want to repeat to be clear: Even recently, with the larger than usual numbers of pathogens being found in the Kratom we receive to test, only a small percentage actually contains any of the dangerous pathogens we test for. If I had to make a guess, I would say that only about 5% of the total material we receive for testing came up positive for pathogens in the past 3 years, with perhaps 15% coming up positive for pathogens in the past 6 months.

Yes, the percentage of adulterated Kratom is increasing. In no particular order, we test everything from mold and yeast counts, to aerobic plate counts to common pathogens found in food products (mostly from mishandling) such as Coliforms (rod-shaped Gram-negative bacteria found in soil and on vegetation and present in large numbers in the feces of warm-blooded animals), to E. coli, Salmonella and Staphylococcus. All of these pathogens are required tests by the FDA for any product that may be intended for consumption.

NOTE: We do not determine the legality of whether any material is legal for consumption; we simply test for common pathogens and adulterants, and determine whether there are acceptable levels of heavy metals in the material.

Speaking of, Kratom Lab Testing is becoming far more important now than it has even in the past year, partly because of the higher incidence of E. coli appearing in samples. What’s more, is the State of California has very strict limits on how much of these four metals can be in any material intended for consumption:

  • Arsenic
  • Cadmium
  • Lead
  • Mercury

The levels of lead allowed in Kratom leaf and extract is a meager 500 parts per billion. Although this might not sound like a lot, the problem is that many plants have more than that naturally occurring in them. And, Kratom is unfortunately one of those plants. Most of the Kratom we test in the lab contains between 500 – 800 parts per billion of lead. This makes it a “PASS” for everywhere in the United States except California.

So, we were forced to put 2 sets of “PASS/FAIL” sections on our Certificates of Analysis

WHY CERTIFICATES OF ANALYSIS?

A Certificate of Analysis will confirm that any material is safe for consumption according to FDA guidelines. It doesn’t mean it’s legal for consumption, it just means that if the tested material were to be consumed, it would not contain any of the common pathogens that are most-often and most-likley to be found in foods and/or dietary supplements.

CONTACT US

1341 Distribution Way, Ste 16, Vista, CA 92081
Email: info@wonderland-labs.com
Phone: (800) 647-3154
Call us TOLL FREE
GET A NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE | OUR FAQ’s

OPERATING HOURS: 8-4, Monday – Friday, PT

Wonderland Labs Contact Form

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False Positives When Testing Kratom for E. Coli https://wonderland-labs.com/false-positives-kratom-testing-e-coli/ https://wonderland-labs.com/false-positives-kratom-testing-e-coli/#respond Wed, 12 Jan 2022 02:30:07 +0000 https://wonderland-labs.com/?p=86557

FALSE POSITIVES WHEN TESTING KRATOM FOR E. COLI

e. coli causing false positives in kratom testingAfter nearly 20 years of testing Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa), we have discovered a few interesting things about testing methods and results for this plant. One critical discovery, is that Kratom tends to produce False Positives when testing for E. Coli. This is true whether it’s the older FDA-BAM Chapter 4 method or the newer USP method.

Results for E. coli are a PASS or FAIL result. That theoretically means that results will show positive if even a single cell of E. coli is detected.

The problem for this comes in when we look to other testing results for some raw Kratom powder: From our experience, Kratom is a very “high background noise” material. There can be many reasons for this background noise. What “high background noise” means though, is that raw Kratom powder tends to have a lot of bacteria and other organisms in it, that are not part of the original plant material.

Most Kratom comes from overseas. most is wildcrafted. Most are harvested under less than optimal conditions. With such a massive demand for Kratom worldwide, much of the stock that is brought to the United States has been picked from both trees and forest floors, has been sitting in a warehouse for unusually long periods of time, often in warehouses that are not sealed from the outside world, and so on.

And this is where they key to FALSE POSITIVES FOR E. COLI IN KRATOM comes in. Our extensive DNA testing has revealed that there are a number of strains of E. coli that typically inhabit raw Mitragyna speciosa plant material.

If you look at one of our DNA charts from one of our Kratom DNA tests, you will see the amazing amount of background noise that typically exists in even the freshest harvests of Kratom:

Cronobacter, Erwinia, Enterobacter and Klebsiella present, but no Escherichia

We discovered that there was an abundance of Cronobacter, Erwinia, Enterobacter and Klebsiella present, but no Escherichia in a large number of the samples we tested!

Armed with this information, we set out on a year-long journey, to find a reliable way to have an FDA compliant testing method produce ZERO FALSE POSITIVES while also producing ZERO FALSE NEGATIVES.

It took endless patience, but we eventually found that method.

One of the critical steps in that method is incubating the Kratom powder in a precision water bath instead of a standard incubator. With multiple incubations at slightly different temperatures, we found that we could get rid of most of the background noise that was causing the false positives, while retaining the harmful strains of E. Coli that could cause distress to anyone who consumed a product made from this material.

More On E. Coli in Kratom

There are several different strains of E. coli, but some of the most well-known include:

  1. E. coli O157:H7: Known to cause severe food poisoning and is often linked to outbreaks of food borne illness.
  2. E. coli O104:H4: Responsible for an outbreak of food poisoning in 2011 in Europe.
  3. E. coli O126: Considered less virulent than O157:H7, but can still cause food poisoning.
  4. E. coli O103: Can cause diarrhea and stomach cramps, but it is generally less severe than other strains.
  5. E. coli O111: Considered moderate virulent and can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps.
  6. E. coli O121: Considered moderate virulent and can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and abdominal cramps.

It is important to note that not all strains of E. coli are harmful to humans, and some strains are actually beneficial. Some examples include:

  1. E. coli K-12: This strain is commonly used in laboratory research and is considered a non-pathogenic “laboratory workhorse”.
  2. E. coli Nissle 1917: This strain is used as a probiotic and has been shown to have beneficial effects on gut health.
  3. E. coli JM109: This strain is commonly used in genetic engineering and biotechnology research, it is a non-pathogenic strain.
  4. E. coli K12 and E. coli B: These strains are considered non-pathogenic and are found naturally in the gut of humans and animals.

It is important to note that while these strains of E. coli are not harmful to humans, they can still be considered a potential contamination risk in food or plant material. A good manufacturing practice, a proper storage and handling of kratom material can help to reduce the risk of contamination.

Non-harmful strains of E. coli, such as those found in the gut of humans and animals, can get into plant material through a variety of ways:

  1. Fecal contamination: This can occur when the Kratom comes into contact with fecal matter from animals or humans, either through direct contact or through contamination of water used to irrigate the plants.
  2. Soil contamination: E. coli can be present in the soil, and can be transferred to the Kratom through contact with contaminated soil.
  3. Harvesting and processing: If the Kratom is not properly handled and processed, it can become contaminated with E. coli from equipment or workers who may carry the bacteria on their hands or clothing.
  4. Environmental factors: The presence of non-harmful strains of E. coli in the environment, such as in the air, water, or soil, can also contribute to contamination of Kratom and other plant material.

It is important to note that many of these strains of E. coli are normal inhabitants of the intestinal tract of animals and humans, so it is not surprising that they may be found in plant material. To minimize the risk of E. coli contamination, growers and processors should implement good agricultural practices (GAPs) and good manufacturing practices (GMPs) to minimize the risk of contamination during harvesting, processing, and storage.

This is one of the key aspects to Kratom testing that we feel sets us apart from other labs. Not only have we developed a series of tests specific to Kratom powders, extracts, and liquids, we have built up a portfolio of over 20 years of Kratom profiles. We know what material comes from who and what and where, and this can be a huge asset when you are making critical decisions who you will purchase your Kratom from.

Find out even more in our “Understanding E. Coli Testing” blog post.

NOTE: We do not determine the legality of whether any material is legal for consumption; we simply test for common pathogens and adulterants, and determine whether there are acceptable levels of heavy metals in the material.

WHY CERTIFICATES OF ANALYSIS?

A Certificate of Analysis will confirm that any material is safe for consumption according to FDA guidelines. It doesn’t mean it’s legal for consumption, it just means that if the tested material were to be consumed, it would not contain any of the common pathogens that are most-often and most-likley to be found in foods and/or dietary supplements.

CONTACT US

1341 Distribution Way, Ste 16, Vista, CA 92081
Email: info@wonderland-labs.com
Phone: (800) 647-3154
Call us TOLL FREE
GET A NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE | OUR FAQ’s

OPERATING HOURS: 8-4, Monday – Friday, PT

Wonderland Labs Contact Form

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What Do My Bio Testing Results Mean? https://wonderland-labs.com/what-do-my-biological-testing-results-mean/ https://wonderland-labs.com/what-do-my-biological-testing-results-mean/#respond Sun, 02 Sep 2018 18:01:20 +0000 https://wonderland-labs.com/?p=22761
WHAT DO MY BIOLOGICAL TESTING RESULTS MEAN?

What Exactly are Coliforms?

Coliforms are are group of closely-related organisms. For the most part, Coliforms are relatively harmless, and occur naturally in the gastrointentinal tracts of most animals, as well as in the soil and the water. When referring to Coliforms, we’re generally referring to 4 main organisms; Escherichia, Klebsiella, Enterobacter and Citrobacter. All belong to the Enterobactericeae family, which, as we just stated, reside in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans and other animals.

The reason Coliform testing is so important is because it has traditionally been an indicator of how hygenically the material in question was handled. From harvesting (if it’s a plant), to processing, to delivery to you as a raw material or finished product.

High Coliform counts typically indicate unsanitary conditions or poor hygenine. So, does the mere presence of coliforms indicate fecal matter is present in a material?

The short answer is “No.”

Do Coliforms Automatically Indicate Pathogens or Contamination?

Coliforms do exist naturally in the environment. Testing for Coliforms does not automatically indicate fecal contamination, but a high Coliform count often results, when further testing is conducted, in detecting fecal matter in the material. This is why the FDA requires all material intended for consumption to be free of any E. Coli, one of the more non-lethal, but troublesome coliforms to humans.

Also, it’s important to note that it’s not just human fecal matter that is being detected. Since any warm-blooded animal is going to have coliforms residing in their gastrointestinal tract, there are many ways for material to get contaminated. Coliform presence doesn’t automatically mean that pathogens are present. High levels of coliforms does increase the risk of foodborne illnesses, but a high level of coliforms generally indicates hygienic conditions during harvesting, processing, and shipping of raw plant materials.

Let’s use an example of a plant that is being grown on a farm. If manure is being used to help the plants grow, studies have revealed that E. coli can live for extended periods of time in both water and manure.

“Studies have indicated that E. coli can survive for extended periods in manure and water (7, 11). We have demonstrated that lettuce grown in soil containing contaminated manure or irrigated with contaminated water results in contamination of the edible portion of the lettuce plant.” (https://aem.asm.org/content/68/1/397)

That means that is manure is being used on plants intended for consumption, the possibility of those plants being cotaminated with E. coli goes up considerably.

Let’s then say that the farm also keeps animals, and those animals live in a barn. Let’s say that barn is also where plant material is dried. If the same people harvesting the material were handling animals, or in a place where animals or other livestock were, E. coli can contamination can easily transfer.

Or, if water that has been contaminated with E. Coli is used to water or wash the plant material, this is another source of potential E. coli contamination.

And, the list goes on. If the plants are watered with “gray” water, if the plants are watered and/or washed with well or pond water that has any kind of wildlife use or visit it, if wildlife visits the plants while they are growing, and feed on the plants, or brush them as they pass; those are all common sources of contamination.

Is There Any Way to Kill E. Coli?

Luckily, E. coli is easy to kill. Subjecting E. coli to an INTERNAL TEMPERATURE of 148°F for three minutes will kill 99.99% of E. coli and Salmonella. Subjecting E. coli to an INTERNAL TEMPERATURE of 160°F for 14 seconds will kill 99.99% of E. coli and Salmonella. Please note that INTERNAL TEMPERATURE is critical for success. If you have a thick rooty plant, you will need to grind those roots as finely as possible, or at least to the final size they will be in whatever product is being made from them.

The FDA allows DEAD E. coli and Salmonella to be present in material intended for consumption. Through the PCR testing we do here that only takes 24-48 hours to see results, since it’s a DNA test, it will only show whether pathogens such as E. coli and Salmonella are present; it won’t tell you whether or not they’re living or dead.

Obviously, the best material to work with is material that was never contaminated in the first place. Many suppliers are able to successfully work with their growers to ensure more sanitary conditions are followed when growing, harvesting, and processing material that will eventually be meant for consumption.

We offer small scale sterilizing of plant material up to 1000KG, but we are mostly in the business of testing for Coliforms and other pathogens in any material we are provided with.

How Does This Relate to the Aerobic Plate Count on My Results?

The easiest way to think about your results, is to put the results into to two main groups. The first row is the AEROBIC PLATE COUNT, which measures ALL of the biological activity of the material. This includes all bacteria, fungi (molds) and yeast that will grow in an aerobic environment. We do Aerobic Plate Count tests are 35C because this helps us detect the organisms that are most-likely to exist on or in humans.

The YEAST and the MOLD content are the two main types of fungi that are typically found in plant material. In general, the presence a larger-than-usual amounts of yeast and mold indicate that the material being tested is not very fresh, or was handled poorly while it was being harvested and processed. Is the material was piled high as it was being harvested, plant material at the bottom of the pile will begin to decompose quite quickly. If the material was held in a dark, damp place for a period of time, this encourages decomosition of the plant material.

Since yeast and molds occur naturally everywhere in nature, fresh plant material is extremely suseptive to deterioration. In fact, the pH requirement for mold growth is quite a wide range; from pH 2 to greater than pH 9, and at temperatures between 50 – 95 degress Fahrenheit.

It’s important to note that the moment a raw material is processed using extraction methods or placed under extreme heat will kill most of the yeast, fungus, mold, and everything else dangerous in a material. Subjecting the material to INTERNAL TEMPERATURES of 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celcius) will also kill most pathogens, yeast and mold.

What is a Safe Level of E. coli in My Test Results?

There is no “safe level” of E. coli in your test results. We get asked nearly every day if a clients test results have “too much” E. coli or not. It’s a yes or no question, and there is no gray area. Either your material is contaminated with E. coli, or it is not. We sometimes provide numbers instead of a “Yes or “No” result because it is more accurate. On several of the FDA-approved testing methods, there is a lower detection limit for E. colil of < 3. We sometimes include that number instead of a “yes” or a “no” to be as accurate as possible. We are telling you that we did not detect any E. coli, but there could be a single cell of it hiding out somewhere in your material. That specific testing method we used (typically FDA-BAM), has a lower detection limit, although extraordinarily small, so it does leave the tiniest, microscopic margin for possible error.

At the same time, a < 3 CFU/g result for E. coli is acceptable for consumption by the FDA. The ‘Coliform Microbial Density’ for drinking water in most of the world must be completely free from any E. coli colonies whatsoever. Bathing and swimming pool water can have about 200 colonies, and recreational water about 1000 colonies.

REFERENCES:

https://aem.asm.org/content/68/1/397

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1365-2672.2000.tb05335.x

WHY CERTIFICATES OF ANALYSIS?

A Certificate of Analysis will confirm that any material is safe for consumption according to FDA guidelines. It doesn’t mean it’s legal for consumption, it just means that if the tested material were to be consumed, it would not contain any of the common pathogens that are most-often and most-likley to be found in foods and/or dietary supplements.

CONTACT US

1341 Distribution Way, Ste 16, Vista, CA 92081
Email: info@wonderland-labs.com
Phone: (800) 647-3154
Call us TOLL FREE
GET A NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE | OUR FAQ’s

OPERATING HOURS: 8-4, Monday – Friday, PT

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Is HPLC a Reliable Method for Testing Kratom? https://wonderland-labs.com/is-hplc-a-reliable-method-for-testing-kratom/ https://wonderland-labs.com/is-hplc-a-reliable-method-for-testing-kratom/#respond Tue, 03 Oct 2017 19:07:47 +0000 https://wonderland-labs.com/?p=14854

IS HPLC A RELIABLE METHOD FOR TESTING KRATOM?

For some reason, this is a question we’ve been asked increasingly often recently. I’m not sure if clients get results that were different than they hoped or expected is the cause, or if it’s something else entirely.  To answer part of this question, one of the many things we lab nerds do behind the scenes at the lab, is spend a great deal of time running every scenario we can think of, to try to break the testing methods we use.

For example, many have asked if there is a wide range of alkaloid content between boxes of material, or within a single box or package of material. A common box size seems to be 25kg. We don’t personally have the resources or the luxury to have ten 25kg boxes lying around to take a sample from each box, but we have clients who do. We also don’t have a single 25kg box laying around to pull samples from different layers of that box to test.

We’re taking the time to test a sample from each of those boxes, and samples from within a single box and compiled our results. I’ll discuss those results in a minute, but want to get back to the first part of the question regarding whether or not HPLC is a reliable method for testing alkaloid content in Kratom, though:

The short answer is that HPLC has been proven, in the published scientific community to be an extremely reliable and accurate way of testing for alkaloid content in Kratom.

Despite numerous published papers that have outlined, in detail, the methods used to obtain reliable and repeatable alkaloid content in Kratom, we have personally spoken with a couple of the scientists who have had peer reviewed and peer published papers, asking about the mechanics behind alkaloid extraction, sample prep, and whether or not there are such things as alkaloids that are resistant to extraction, whether if something that was extracted with water will give an incorrect result if it is extracted into ethanol in the lab for testing in the HLPC, or various other scenarios.

What we get is a very tech-heavy nerdy response (we’re all lab nerds here), that outlines the laws of physics, the elution process, and the behavior of mitragynine in various scenarios. We’ve been assured, not only by the numerous published methods for testing alkaloid content in Kratom we’ve replicated in our lab and then repeated, but by a couple of the scientists crafting those scientific papers, that HLPC is an extraordinarily reliable method for testing for alkaloid content, not just in Kratom, but in countless materials.

We’ve been testing for years, we have samples for as far as ten years ago, and we have made it a practice to test that material year after year, on different configurations and any one of our 4 HPLC machines.  We want to be 1000% sure of the results we share with our clients, and one of the ways to ensure that is to continually check ourselves, to continually re-run reference standards to recalibrate our machines, and to run multiple tests of the same material at different times and on different machines.

We have a supply of pure mitragynine that we purchase in extremely small quantities from a lab supply house on a very regular basis. We use this to generate reference standards to ensure the absolute accuracy of any test we release.

HLPC Simplified

HPLC is a light-based system. Every alkaloid from any material has it’s own individual resonance, it’s own fingerprint, let’s say. What this equates to scientifically, is that each individual alkaloid will stick to the inside of a tube called a column and then release at a very reliable and repeatable moment time, depending on the type of column used and the blend of chemistry being used during this testing process. When the alkaloid does release from the column, it then passes over a light source. Each alkaloid reflects in a very different way from the next, and at a different time as well. We can measure and calculate this, and this is exactly what we do.

Mitragynine happens to have it’s highest peak reflection point at a very specific frequency of light. When you look at that specific frequency of light at a certain moment in time, you get a “peak” on the visual picture that indicates the presence of that specific alkaloid. That peak looks a lit like a very tall, skinny witch’s hat. Inside that peak is a very specific space or “area”.

With a pure reference samples of mitragynine, we know that the area of the peak of light that appears at a specific moment in time will equal 100% mitragynine content. This number os different for each HPLC machine, but it’s a number that can be reliably repeated test after test after test with each machine. This becomes the reference standard for the lab, or the “constant” upon which all other samples are compared against.

It takes time and money to continually update this reference standard, but it’s one of those “behind the scenes” things we offer our clients, because we know how critical just 0.10% of a difference can make in the alkaloid content of a sample. We have often tested results from other labs, and what we’ve seen, more than rarely, is that other lab results often come back higher than ours. It doesn’t mean our results aren’t accurate, but we were curious why this actually might be.

As mentioned earlier, with some help of a very kind and patient client, we decided to run an experiment where we took 10 samples from 10 different boxes of the exact same strain of Kratom. We also took 10 samples from within the same 25kg box of Kratom.  We’re currently running those tests and will compile them soon.

Is it possible that there can be as much as a 1.0% difference between boxes of the same harvest and/or the same strain? Is it possible that there can be a big difference in alkaloid content between the exact same material within a single box of material? These kinds of questions exictes me to no end, and I’ll publish those results as soon as we’ve completed the testing.

For the Tech Nerds

From the European Monitoring Center for Drugs: Regular chromatographic and spectroscopic methods are standard testing methods for Kratom and its alkaloids. Phylogenetic testing of kratom samples by specific DNA nucleotide sequences can also complement the phytochemical analyses.

For tests that come up positive for mitragynine, to confirm that the alkaloid is what it appears to be, we spray it with a modified Ehrlich’s reagent which gives mitragynine purple spots. We’ve tried this on numerous samples of both Mitragyna speciosa and supposed Mitragyna Javanica. We have not yet had a false positive, especially when compared on a multi-sampled sample.

Kratom alkaloids can be separated by thin layer chromatography on silica gel plates with detection by UV (254 nm).  The UV spectrum of the methanol solution of mitragynine shows a maximum at 225 nm with shoulders at 247, 285 and 293 nm.  The UV spectrum of the ethanol solution of 7-hydroxymitragynine shows a maximum at 220 nm with shoulders at 245 and 305 nm.

What About Blends?

We’ve also had clients who have blended their Kratom with other things, such as citric acid, other herbs, and have wondered (mostly when the alkaloid content comes up much lower than they had expected), if there is something blocking the test from giving an accurate result, or if the method itself is not suitable for testing a blended material.

Being the nerdy and curious creatures we are, we have spent a great deal of time adulterating and blending various forms of Kratom in our lab. We’ve made pure ethanol extracts into liquids. We’ve taken those liquid Kratom extracts and have tested the alkaloid content. We’ve then added large amount of things like citric acid to that liquid, and then re-tested.

Every single time, we come up with the same result and the same exact alkaloid content.

This isn’t surprising though, because of the way HPLC works. So, bottom line: If HLPC has proven to be a reliable method in the scientific community, if over a dozen published scientific papers have shown that HPLC is a reliable and repeatable method for testing alkaloid content in Kratom, and if our multiple tests trying to prove the testing is NOT accurate have failed, then we are quite confident with continuing to offer HLPC testing as our main testing method for Kratom and numerous other samples that arrive at our lab.

A few have asked if we would be willing to try to develop a Gas Chromatography method for detecting alkaloid content in Kratom, and as of this writing, this is definitely something we’re interested in exploring. We’re currently researching, looking for reliable, peer reviewed studies that have been published using Gas Chromatography as the testing method for detecting mitragynine and 7OH in Kratom. We want to provide as accurate results as we possibly can, time after time, and at Wonderland-Labs we’re always open to improving on any results we get.

My passion runs deep for the Kratom community, and this is my beacon; it’s my way to give back to a plant and a community that has given me so much.

WHY CERTIFICATES OF ANALYSIS?

A Certificate of Analysis will confirm that any material is safe for consumption according to FDA guidelines. It doesn’t mean it’s legal for consumption, it just means that if the tested material were to be consumed, it would not contain any of the common pathogens that are most-often and most-likley to be found in foods and/or dietary supplements.

CONTACT US

1341 Distribution Way, Ste 16, Vista, CA 92081
Email: info@wonderland-labs.com
Phone: (800) 647-3154
Call us TOLL FREE
GET A NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE | OUR FAQ’s

OPERATING HOURS: 8-4, Monday – Friday, PT

Wonderland Labs Contact Form

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Why We Bother With Kratom Testing https://wonderland-labs.com/why-we-bother-with-kratom-testing/ https://wonderland-labs.com/why-we-bother-with-kratom-testing/#respond Sun, 01 Oct 2017 19:23:52 +0000 https://wonderland-labs.com/?p=14805

WHY WE BOTHER WITH KRATOM TESTING

My passion for the Kratom community runs deep. I have proudly served on the board of the Botanical Legal Defense, where we fought for many victories in defending plant’s rights in numerous states, where we each had to put up a large amount of our own money to get in the ring to fight. I even helped write the law in Illinois that prevented Kratom from becoming a Schedule I drug. That battle involved a road trip to the capital of Illinois with a fellow board member, where we shook hands with representatives, pleaded our case, and attended the vote regarding the Scheduling of Kratom to ensure it remained legal for those 18 and older to purchase.

And that’s just one of the many victories we fought for as representatives of the Kratom community. That will always be something I’m extremely proud of. Ironically, I’ve spent a lot of time, energy, and money fighting for the very people who are now trying to hurt me and my business.

Everyone has a right to their opinion, but I ask that you find out the facts and the truth for yourself before expressing those opinions and judgements.

As it turns out that one of the most challenging decisions I’ve made because of my passion for Kratom, was choosing to add Kratom testing onto our offerings at the lab. I had already been testing Kratom for over 10 years, testing every bit of Kratom I could get my hands on in the marketplace. And, before I was able to do testing myself, I poured a lot of my own money in getting lab testing done. There was a great deal of fake Kratom on the market in the early 2000’s, and I wanted to be one of the retailers who got it right and had verifiable, genuine Kratom. (Speaking of, I was also one of the first suppliers to bring Kratom into the country and help make it available to a wider audience since the early 2000’s.)

It was far easier back then; there were only a few main suppliers, and we all were watching what each other was doing. Now, though, the number of Kratom samples we receive for testing at Wonderland Labs has skyrocketed. In fact, in mid-2017, it skyrocketed so much, for a short while, we were unable to keep up with the workload.

We quickly built an exceptional online system for tracking Kratom Samples and clients, with a Wonderland Client Dashboard that walks you through every step of the way. We built up our Kratom profiles, and got even more serious with our reference samples, our testing standards, and our redundancy checks for Kratom testing. We were determined to go above and beyond what any other lab could or would be willing to do for the price point we offered Kratom testing at our lab.

My Warning Against Kratom Testing

I was warned about a few dark corners of the current Kratom community. I was warned that some parts of it may not be the community of kind, like-minded, and caring people that I was accustomed to over the past nearly twenty years. I was told there is a new negative, cutthroat energy, with a level of impatience, anger, and accusation like none of us who’ve been in the industry have seen before.

I didn’t care, and I also didn’t believe it. It’s easy to make generalizations and put labels on people we’ve never met or spoken to personally.  I have faith in the entheogen community as a whole, and have been an integral part of it for over many years. I tromped around the world looking for new entheogens to offer throughout the early 2000’s, spent a great deal of time with people like Dennis McKenna (brother of Terence McKenna). We shared Ayahuasca together in Peru, shared suppliers for many amazing plants, as I have with a number of amazing people in the entheogen community. It always felt like community based on mutual compassion and a sincere desire to seek our true nature through sacred plants.

When I discovered Salvia, a community grew up around that Teacher Plant, and I was thrilled to be a part of that community as well. That turned into fighting for Salvia as it began to be scheduled across the USA.

When I was introduced to Kratom by a friend in Indonesia who I had turned on to Salvia — I got nervous. I spent a great deal of time with Kratom, looking for the teacher in the plant. I took small doses up to large doses. There were virtually no Kratom vendors yet, so I was experimenting with extracts, resins, teas, infusions, and any other form that I could think to make it into. During that time, as I tried to understand the plant and what it was trying to offer, I took a few doses that were large enough to become psychoactive. It was important for me to know a plant inside and out before I made any judgements in relation to it.

Personally, I never found that plant teacher in the plant. I did find very geometrical, industrial visions that felt like cement, viaducts, and coldness. More curiously, I found myself becoming agitated some of the time, while feeling like I was walking on clouds in others.

I watched my overall attitude grow impatient the more I worked with the plant, and this agitation and impatience passed onto those around me, even my friends. 

I was worried that a community might spring up around this plant that had that same impatience and agitation. I was worried that there wouldn’t be the same kind of community that there was around all of the other sacred plants that I had been working with. I even thought to myself that this plant might become addictive for some people, instead of being something to help people with addictions.

But, the wheels were in motion, and I was just a drop in the bucket with the small amounts I was selling. The least I could do was to try to market Kratom responsibly, to try to encourage responsible use.

But, what has turned into a deep desire to help out the Kratom community, has turned into a few bad apples turning on us.  I’ve been on the ground fighting for the Kratom community for quite some time, but some bad apples have decided to forge our documents, while others have decided to make a series of false statements about us and how we do business. (We have people accusing of of not even being a “GMP Certified” facility more than once, despite the fact that there’s no such thing as a “GMP Certified” facility.)

Prevent Kratom Testing Delays

What really frustrates me in relation to Kratom testing at our lab, is that some (not all – we’re just humans, doing the best we can, providing a service as best we can) of thenegative noise about Wonderland Labs have sometimes been the very clients who didn’t follow the few basic instructions we do our best to provide. To prevent delays in testing when you submit any Kratom for testing at our lab, there are a few simple guidelines to follow:

  1. SEND ENOUGH MATERIAL: We have a detailed list of exactly how much material to send in our FAQ page. The entry is called “HOW MUCH DO I NEED TO SEND YOU?” If we’re not sent enough material to test, this stops everything. When more material is sent in, it needs to be clearly labeled, and with a Sample Submission Form, or this will stop all testing as well, since we will have no idea what the sample is for, especially with so many samples showing up on our doorstep on a daily basis.
  2. SEND WITH TRACKING: For those in a hurry, the sample must be sent via a method that has tracking. If there’s no trackable sample (USPS First Class and even USPS Delivery Confirmation is not tracking), there’s no way to guarantee the sample will arrive to us. We have seen those complain that we lose customer samples, but that is an outright false statement; we can proudly say that we’ve never lost any client samples in all the years we’ve been accepting samples. We provide an actual street address for returning clients instead of our PO Box to make even more certain samples are handled as quickly as possible.
  3. PACKAGE SAMPLES CORRECTLY: That is critical to successful Kratom sample submission with the lab. We discuss the proper way to package your sample on our FAQ page, and on the second page of the Sample Requisition Form. We explain this in “WHAT CONTAINER DO I SEND MY SAMPLES IN?” When instructions aren’t followed, samples can open in shipping, and all testing has to stop until we can get new, properly packaged samples from our clients. If those new samples don’t have a Sample Requisition Form with them, and are not clearly labeled, that will not only make our job difficult to impossible, it will stop the project in its tracks. It makes it extremely difficult on us when we have to try to track down samples and match them with their owners, when a simple inclusion of the Sample Requisition Form would resolve all of that.

Up until now, and over the past 20 years in the entheogen community, with a special passion for Kava and Kratom, I’ve chosen to ignore the detractors and their sometimes coarse language. I didn’t want to give them any airtime on any of my websites, or any of my energy in providing responses. This is changing because I may have finally had enough. I haven’t spent so many years of my life fighting for entheogens, fighting for Kava, and fighting for Kratom only a few bad apples in the Kratom community in 2017 try to do their best to ruin things for both me and all my treasured employees. Speaking of those bad apples:

We’ve started a “AUTHENTICATE” page to explain how to spot a forgery, but to urge you to call us at 800-647-3154 to verify any Certificate of Analysis that you may have received or simply suspect is fake. We have reported two companies to the police already, and are still pursuing all legal means to stop any other people who choose to forge our documents.

Keeping the Faith

For anyone who reads this page or has found us from a post on a forum or on REDDIT, please take this 5% discount on our already low testing prices. “Write “GENUINE 5 PERCENT” on your Sample Submission form, send it to me in an email, or call us up and let us know that. For a one-time 25% discount on any ID/Percentage testing, just write “ID 25 PERCENT” on your Sample Submission Form, send it to me in an email, or call us up and let us know that.

I’m doing my best to not lose faith in the current Kratom community. I know it’s just a few detractors, for whatever reason, who have chosen to target us. I do want to sincerely thank all of our loyal clients, both recent and ones who’ve been with us for years. Because of your loyalty we’ve been able to build extensive Kratom profiles for every known variety of Kratom that exists in the marketplace, or existed in the marketplace at one time. This helps us make variety determinations in a way that no other lab can.

I’m so proud of all we’ve accomplished. I’m not some giant corporation that was given boatloads of money to build a facility. I took what I had made as a retailer in the entheogen marketplace, saved my money for nearly ten years, and then put everything I had into building the beautiful, beyond GMP-compliant facility that I have in Vista, CA. I made sure every detail was beyond required specifications to ensure that anything we wanted to do at the facility would follow the strictest standards, and would be something that everyone who work with and for us could be proud of.

For the lab, our Wonderland Client Dashboard keeps you in constant communication with us, with invoicing, commenting, progress reports, and certificates all in one handy place. It’s been a huge success already.

For now, we’re keeping Kratom testing on our menu, but our faith in some corners of the Kratom community has been shaken. We’ve been able to build a lab that I feel has the latest and most reliable technology, with results that are not padded to trick customers into coming back to us, and certificates that can be presented to the FDA with confidence. We have all of our loyal clients to thank for that, and for that we remain eternally grateful and will continue to do what we do with accuracy and passion regardless of what those trying to derail our efforts are hoping to accomplish.

My passion runs deep for the Kratom community, and this is my beacon; it’s my way to give back to a plant and a community that has given me so much.

Best Regards,
Keith & the entire staff at Wonderland Labs

WHY CERTIFICATES OF ANALYSIS?

A Certificate of Analysis will confirm that any material is safe for consumption according to FDA guidelines. It doesn’t mean it’s legal for consumption, it just means that if the tested material were to be consumed, it would not contain any of the common pathogens that are most-often and most-likley to be found in foods and/or dietary supplements.

CONTACT US

1341 Distribution Way, Ste 16, Vista, CA 92081
Email: info@wonderland-labs.com
Phone: (800) 647-3154
Call us TOLL FREE
GET A NO-OBLIGATION QUOTE | OUR FAQ’s

OPERATING HOURS: 8-4, Monday – Friday, PT

Wonderland Labs Contact Form

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